


So the Story Goes

by Sadekuuro



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Mystery, Pre-Time Skip, Sanji's past (non-canon), Slow To Update, lost language and culture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2018-04-18 23:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 50,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4724417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadekuuro/pseuds/Sadekuuro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, there is more to old stories than one would think. A pirate crew, and a cook who can see just a little bit more than most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've already posted the first four chapters of this over on ffnet, and figured I should do so here too. Since it's the first time I'm posting on ao3, I'm pretty unfamiliar with it all so if there's any issues (tagging, formatting, etc.) please let me know and I'll try to fix it.
> 
> Also know that I have no idea what I'm doing with this story in general.

_When the world was born, those that would come to inhabit it were given a chance to decide where they wanted to live. They were to choose between the ocean, the land, and the sky, and so they did. One by one, each creature picked a home, and slowly the world filled._

 

_Finally, it came to be the turn of five siblings to decide._

 

_The eldest looked to the sky, the sun, the stars, the moon, and saw freedom and vastness, a view of the entire world. And so, he chose the heavens to be his home._

 

_The second sibling saw the lands of the newborn world, and fell in love with the forests, the mountains, the deserts, the plateaus, and swore he would walk them all. And so, he chose to live on land._

 

_The third sibling had a love for swimming, and was indeed the fastest of them all in water. She saw the fish that had already chosen their home, and joined them in the great oceans, adopting their fins as her own._

 

_The fourth sibling, too, loved the seas. However, unlike her sister who adored the beauty of the waters and the creatures that lived in them, she admired the ocean's strength and power. Thus, when she chose the water as her home, she kept her arms and legs but took on other aspects of fish to survive._

 

_Then, finally, came the youngest sibling's turn to decide. Her love for the ocean was perhaps the greatest of them all; she was enamored by its beauty, in awe of its power and fascinated by its depths. She was the one who best understood the murmurings of the waves, the one who could sing their songs when no one else could even hear them. She yearned to see all four oceans of this new world._

 

_Yet her siblings worried for her, as her body was frail and could not handle travel. The youngest was a sickly child, and the others knew the ocean would be her death if she were to choose it. So, together they gently convinced her to stay on land, even as she wept bitter tears for what she could not have._

 

* * *

 

An old woman carefully closed her stall at the harbor, finished for the day. Traffic had been slow all week, with few ships coming into port, and as a result she hadn't been able to market her wares as much as she would have liked. Still, she had made enough money to get by without too much trouble.

 

After checking that everything was locked down properly (not that anyone ever tried to steal from her), she made her way to the market to pick up groceries for the rest of the week. It was halfway through this task that a little boy ran into her, quite literally. While the old woman didn't fall, she dropped her bags and could only watch as her purchases spilled onto the street. She turned to reprimand the boy for his carelessness, but was cut off by his hasty and sincere apology.

“I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Look, I'll pick them up, please don't be mad!” He knelt and reached for the nearest bag, and the old lady couldn't find it in her to be upset.

“It's fine, but do try to be more careful in the future.” The boy nodded as he handed back two of the bags, keeping the third. When the woman raised an eyebrow, he told her he would help her carry the groceries home.

 

* * *

 

_The second sibling built the youngest a house by the shore, as close to the water as he could so that she would never be far from what she loved. He swore to take care of her, and the others promised to help. Thus, she was never completely alone. Her brothers watched over her, and her sisters kept her company._

 

_Every one of them was sure to bring her a gift whenever they returned from their own travels, but it was the stories they told the youngest that truly kept her going. They told her about animals and plants she had never seen, about places beyond her imagination, about the adventures they had. She made sure to collect them all._

 

_It could not last, however. As time passed, the four siblings grew busier as they watched over their own homes and people, and they were able to visit less and less. The youngest sibling grew lonely, even with all of the stories she had kept, and then grew frustrated with her uselessness. She could not protect the lands, could not patrol the skies, could not calm the seas; what, then, was there that she could do? How could she ease the burden on her family, when she was the weakest of them all? What good could she do when she even had to leave the protection of her own people to her land-bound brother?_

 

_As she worried, the new-born world struggled ever more._

 

_As she sought an answer, the world slowly began to die around her._

 

* * *

 

The old woman studied the boy who carried her groceries as if they were a treasure. He was very young, no older than four or five if she had to guess. Yet, she couldn't see anyone around who might be his guardian. He himself did not appear in any way concerned, and moved through the market with the kind of confidence born from knowing the area well. He probably lived nearby, in that case.

“So, what were you doing at the marketplace?” the woman asked in an attempt to start some kind of conversation; the boy was being awfully quiet.

“I was going to the harbor,” he answered. The old woman waited, but got nothing else.

“Oh? What for?” she prompted.

“To see the ships.” The boy finally turned to look at her, and her heart warmed at his smile. “I'm gonna be a sailor some day!”

“Oh my! So you dream of the sea!” That was all it took for the little boy to start eagerly chattering away about everything he was going to do and all the places he would see. The old lady could only chuckle at his enthusiasm.

 

When they reached her home, the boy had yet to run out of steam. The woman could barely get in a word edgewise to tell him where to leave the groceries, and to direct him to the kitchen table where she placed a glass of juice. It was only when he took a drink that she was able to ask her question.

“That's a fine dream, dear. But it's starting to get late, won't your parents be worried?” This was clearly the wrong question to ask, as the boy's face fell.

“I don't have any,” he said eventually, “I live at the orphanage. They don't really care what I do as long as I come back for lessons and food.” Seeing the old lady's rather horrified expression, he quickly added, “They're not mean! There's just too many kids to take care of.”

It was probably true; the last few winters had been particularly harsh and many had been killed by the violent snowstorms and cold. Even before then there had been plenty of complaints about the local orphanage being understaffed and overcrowded, but nothing had been done.

“I see.” What more, exactly, could she say?

The boy smiled at her again, but it lacked the light it had had before.

“You're right though, I should go back now.” He got up, took the glass to the sink and headed for the door. He paused, however, as he passed the small living room, gaze settled on an antique bookshelf. He stared almost longingly, but then shook his head and kept going.

This did not escape the old woman's notice.

“You know... I get quite lonely living on my own. Perhaps you could come back to visit me again?” She knew she'd said the right thing this time, for the boy's face lit up with hope.

“Really?” A laugh, a nod.

“Really.”

 

* * *

 

_There were some souls who, when the world was born, never chose a home. They could never take on bodies, for what good were those if you didn't belong? So they were fated to remain adrift, without thought or feeling, without form. They gave nothing to the world, and took nothing._

 

_They were nothing._

 

_But as they remained still, the world grew stagnant._

 

_The world kept spinning, yet it no longer moved._

 

* * *

 

A new routine was quickly found. Everyday, the boy would meet her at her stall as soon as his lessons were over. They'd sit together, and the boy would watch as she sold charms to superstitious sailors and hand-crafted jewelry to their wives. He would then help close the stall at the end of the day, assist in any errands she had to run, and finally, follow her home.

 

Once there, the boy would immediately go up to the bookshelf, pick up any book that caught his fancy, and begin to read. He was rather good at it, considering his age, but nevertheless needed a fair amount of help and as the evening wore on the old lady would usually end up reading to him.

 

And, oh, how he loved the stories. From pure fantasy to journals of adventurers to cautionary tales, there was not one story that wasn't met with wide-eyed wonder and vivid imagination. Tales of the sea, especially, would hold his rapt attention for hours on end.

 

One day, he would make a fine sailor indeed.

 

* * *

 

_It was late winter when the youngest began to realize a presence. It was not benevolent, nor did it bear ill will. In fact, it seemed to have no will at all. This puzzled her, and in the time she had alone now that her siblings had stopped visiting altogether, she vowed to find out what it was._

 

_And so, everyday, she would go out to look for the presence. She searched and searched, ignoring her poor health, but returned empty-handed each time. Still, she refused to give up. She had no solution for her loneliness, for the growing rifts between the ocean, land and sky, for the strange dullness settled on the world. Perhaps... she could find an answer like this?_

 

_As time passed, her health only grew worse, until one morning she found she could no longer get up, no matter how hard she tried. She cried in frustration, in anger at her weakness. Could she not do even one simple thing?_

 

_No. She would not pity herself. Even if she couldn't move, couldn't help, she was not nothing. No matter how insignificant, she was something, just like the presence was something... and she would live to find it._

 

_That was when she saw them; small gray shadows floating in her room. They barely moved, and only her breath seemed to stir them._

 

_Was this... it? Was this the presence she had felt?_

 

_With all her will, she lifted a shaking hand. The shadows shied away from it, moving like water. Undeterred, she kept her hand outstretched, and slowly, four of the small shadows approached. They were empty, devoid of purpose... but that was not how they should be._

 

_Quietly, she asked the shadows for one favor: to bring a message to her siblings, to ask for their company one last time. To her delight, the shadows moved quicker than before, and as they headed out to the ocean, land and sky, she could have sworn they glinted silver._

 

_An all-too-still world shifted, ever so slightly, for the first time._

 

* * *

 

One day, the boy came across an odd book on the shelf, pushed far to the back and out of sight. It was a lot older than the rest, but nonetheless in good shape. The cover was a deep blue, and made of some kind of leather that was carefully embossed with an intricate wave pattern. It was beautiful, and he knew it had to be special. He cracked open the cover, but was disappointed to find that he couldn't read it – the letters were unfamiliar, nothing like the ones he knew how to read. He headed for the kitchen to ask about it, even as a small part of him told him that the letters shouldn't be unfamiliar at all.

 

“Granny, what's this?” The old lady looked up from her cooking and nearly dropped her spoon.

“I thought I'd lost that...” She took the book in shaking hands, stroking the cover gently. She opened it carefully, as if afraid it would break, and quickly lost herself in the words.

 

It was written in an old language, one she had learned from her grandmother as a little girl. It was the language of antique whispers, of a childhood by the sea, of secrets passed down from a very different time. It was the language of the old lullabies and songs she had once known...

 

Maybe it was because of her age, but when she managed to pull herself from her nostalgia, she forgot to speak in the common tongue.

 

“ _Would you like me to read it to you?_ ” It was a language that had faded away long ago, one that had lost its place in the world and slowly been forgotten...

 

Perhaps that is why she nearly wept when the boy answered in kind.

 

* * *

 

_The shadows moved quickly, with purpose, flowing around obstacles as if they were following a river. They split apart suddenly, shooting outward in different directions and gaining speed as they went._

 

_Other shadows stirred, caught in their wake. The danced around erratically, buffeted by an invisible current, until the momentum ran out and they were still again, as if they had never moved._

 

_Except._

 

_Except... some kept going. At first they swirled confusedly, but one by one they found a course to follow. They joined the first shadows and picked up on their mission, finally freed from the apathy that had trapped them all._

 

_Ones._

_Tens._

_Hundreds._

 

Thousands.

 

_The dull gray trickled away to reveal glittering silver._

 

* * *

 

Reading the blue book was a slow process. The language was old and difficult, but the boy refused to have the old lady translate it for him. He insisted on hearing it as it was, and as he began to get the hang of it, he asked her to teach him to read it. Because it was too tiring for the both of them to try and get through it all in one sitting, they decided to only read a few pages at a time, just before the boy had to go back home for the night. This left them plenty of time for other activities; the old lady was delighted to find the boy had an interest in cooking and immediately declared him her assistant.

 

As they worked together, she spoke in her preferred tongue. The boy worked hard to respond, though she could tell he was a little rusty. Still, he was a quick learner (or perhaps was simply quick to recover what had been lost out of disuse), and soon he spoke as easily she did.

 

She was a little surprised to find he had no idea where he had learned to speak it at all. His earliest memories were from a little less than a year prior, sitting on the orphanage steps and watching the front gate.

 

Another activity the two soon came to share was crafting the charms the old lady sold for a living. This was something they usually did sitting outside on her front porch, a plate of home-made cookies between them. It was on one of these days that the boy seemed rather distracted. He kept glancing upwards, looking around before remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

 

“Granny...” She looked up from her work, but found the boy was staring at the sky again.

“Yes?”

“What are those?” He was pointing up, but when the woman followed his gaze, she couldn't see anything.

“The... clouds?” The boy shook his head.

“No! Those silver things!” The old lady glanced back up, before giving the boy an apologetic look.

“I'm sorry dear, but I really don't see what you're talking about.” The boy frowned for a moment, but then apparently decided to let it go and continue with what he had been doing.

 

He never asked again.

 

* * *

 

_The shadows arrived at their destinations unseen, despite their new color. No one looked at them, but as they passed, everyone felt them. The air was just a little lighter, colors just a little brighter._

 

_As the shadows passed, the world in their wake began to feel alive._

 

_The four siblings each paused in the middle of their work, noticing the subtle shift in their surroundings. One by one, they were filled with warmth and only then did they notice they had been cold._ _Their thoughts turned to their youngest sister, and they realized what they had done. They'd broken their vows and left her alone, even if it hadn't been done out of cruelty._

 

_The warmth they felt was hers. And it was fading._

 

_The siblings left their homes, and at long last arrived in the home of their ailing sister. As soon as they entered, they knew it was too late to help her. The illness had spread too far, and all she could do was wait for death._

 

_And yet, when she saw them, she smiled. Quietly, she welcomed them, even as they begged for forgiveness. The siblings could not understand her joy; she had been left alone, she would die... but she smiled,_ smiled _, and cut their apologies off with a whispered but firm order._

 

“ _Don't. I do not wish you to be sad.”_

 

_The siblings gathered around her, and took her hands. It was then that they saw. Surrounding their little sister, swimming lazy circles around her in tandem with her breathing, were hundreds of silver shapes. There, despite the inevitable presence of death, was something beautifully alive._

 

_This was the answer, they realized. This was what would finally bring the world from its stand-still. This was the missing piece. A breath, a heartbeat._

 

_The siblings sprang into action. If their sister was to die, then it would be when she had fulfilled her lifelong dreams of the sea._

 

_The two older sisters quickly set to gather creatures from every ocean, knowing their younger sister would not be able to travel to see them all. If they were in one place, at least they would have a chance._

 

_So they searched every corner of the world, and brought together everything. Fish that would never be found near each other suddenly existed in harmony._

 

_The sisters hoped the youngest would live long enough to see it._

 

_The brothers worked on getting the youngest there. They knew she could not swim, and a small boat was too slow and dangerous to make the journey. They would need something bigger, a boat that would not be shaken by the waves, a boat that could shield from the wind and sun._

 

_They began to build. Larger and larger the vessel became, and it was strong. It was safe._

 

_But it was also slow, and their sister did not have much time._

 

_The eldest sibling turned his gaze to the heavens, to the clouds that sailed across the sky, pushed onward by the wind... and he realized they could do the same. He ordered for large pieces of cloth to be brought to him, to be fastened to the ship._

 

_They would catch the wind._

 

* * *

 

They were nearing the end of the book now, and the boy read confidently on his own, only needing help for a few words. This last story was by far the most interesting, and he had to consciously slow down so as to not skip anything that might be important. Every single word was read with care.

 

_A place where the oceans came together, a place where you could find every fish in the world..._

 

“All Blue...” It was an awed whisper, and when the boy turned to look at the old lady, it was with an expression of wonder beyond anything she had ever seen.

 

* * *

 

_As her siblings worked, the youngest felt her health decline ever further. She barely realized she had been carried aboard the ship, that they had set sail. If she had been told where they were going, she could not remember it. But despite the fact she was fading away, she never lost track of the shadows that followed her._

 

_They wove around the mast, pooled in the sails, streamed through the air above the deck with a fluid grace. In her feverish mind, they looked like fish._

 

_She did not notice when they stopped, barely registered being lifted and then lowered, from one pair of arms to another._

 

_But when the gently placed her in the water, her senses returned. At her sisters' bidding, she held her breath, and slowly they slipped beneath the surface._

 

_Through the crystalline blue waters, she could see fish of every shape, size and color. Some swam lazily, content with a slow pace, while others moved as if they were racing. Some ventured close, curious, and others kept a distance, sweeping elegantly past._

 

_They took her deeper, where even more creatures greeted her. There were fish with fins like rippling silk, there were jellyfish that glowed the colors of a sunset, there were dolphins that chased each other around and around in a lively game of tag._

 

_If she listened closely, she could hear the songs of whales._

 

_They swam deeper._

 

_Deeper..._

 

_The silver shapes had followed her, all the way down, and even now swam around her. They looked like they belonged here, under the blue._

 

_But they didn't. They belonged everywhere._

 

_The youngest could feel her illness again, finally rearing its head and preparing to take what it was due. And so, she let out her breath, and the small, delicate bubbles that rose toward the surface carried with them one final wish for the shadows._

 

_Keep moving._

 

_Her eyes slid shut, her body relaxed, and her sisters laid her to rest._

 

_The silver shapes stilled for a moment, but then that final wish echoed through them._ _They spiraled outward, heading in all directions. In, out, up, down, they followed a current of their own._

 

_A breath, a heartbeat._

 

* * *

 

It was the year the boy turned nine that the old woman's age seemed to catch up to her all at once. She quickly became bedridden, and soon came her time to die. Before that happened, she made sure to give the boy both the blue book and a charm she had worked on for a long time. She only asked he remember her come the day he found his All Blue.

 

Not six months after her death, the orphanage burned down. None were killed, but the boy had lost the book for good. In the hassle that followed, no one noticed as he slipped away to the harbor.

 

By the time the caretakers found his note, Sanji was already aboard a ship bound for East Blue.

 

* * *

 

_The thing about stories is the way they can change. Time and retelling can split a story apart, and fuse the pieces to create something new. Some stories may be remembered, while others fade away completely._ _But no matter how much they change, no matter how unrecognizable they become, they will always hold on to some part of themselves._

 

_That part may just be truth._

 


	2. Chapter 2

_The siblings mourned the loss of their sister for a long time, and their tears rained down into the ocean as they each made their way home. Those tears sank to the sea floor, a glistening trail of loss across the sand. All who saw it knew the siblings' grief, and took it as their own. They mourned together._

_The trail remained until an oyster came across it. It, too, felt sorrowful looking at the tears, but unlike all others who had seen them, the oyster did not leave. Something had to be done, lest the sadness flooded the new world. The pain had to be stopped._

_The oyster swallowed one of the tears. It tasted bitter, and the oyster nearly spat it back out again. It didn't do so, however, for its determination was great. It called upon its kind, and bid they all follow its lead. One by one, the tears were all swallowed and hidden away._

_Together, the oysters worked to turn them into something beautiful._

* * *

Sanji paused in chopping up vegetables for a soup as another stab of pain made itself known behind his eyes. He held still until it passed a few seconds later, before taking a deep breath. And here he'd been thinking that the damn headaches were finally getting better...

No such luck, it would seem.

With slightly more force than strictly necessary, he resumed his chopping. It took more effort than usual to avoid cutting off his fingers, and that just pissed him off further. The headaches had been going on for a while, and were slowly taking their toll. It wasn't even as if the pain was really _that_ bad, he'd dealt with way worse before. The problem was its persistence. The headaches simply would not go away, from the time he woke up to the time he went back to sleep.

Hah, sleep.

He could ignore the constant ache well enough during the day, when he could keep himself distracted, but as soon as he tried to settle down for the night the pain would slam into him full-force. In the end, if he wanted to get any rest at all, he had to work himself to the point where he would simply pass out the moment he dropped into his bunk. In a way, it actually made him glad that his crewmates were so messy, as it gave him something to do.

Even so, the galley downright sparkled and any more cleaning would probably result in him wearing through his countertops. His knives were sharpened to perfection, the silverware polished to the point of blinding anyone stupid enough to look at it in direct light, and the cabinets, fridge and pantry had all been rearranged more times than he was willing to count.

He knew he had reached new heights of desperation when he started to consider taking a page out of Zoro's book and training until he couldn't see straight.

 Speaking of seeing...

 He really ought to just go talk to Chopper about the headaches, but that would inevitably result in the young reindeer trying to work out what was causing them in the first place, and _that_ was something he didn't know how to handle. The thing was, he had a some idea of what was wrong. What he didn't have was a way of explaining it without coming off as insane. _Oh yes, Chopper, I'm used to seeing things no one else apparently does, and now I can't and it's giving me one hell of a headache, could you possibly fix that?_

With a sigh, he dropped the vegetables into the pot and turned down the heat. He would let that simmer for about an hour, so in the meantime he could... what? The bread was already in the oven, and there was nothing else that needed any work.

 Unfortunately.

 He blinked a few times to try and rid himself of the feeling that his eyes were trying to escape his head. He couldn't really blame them; his head was currently a shitty place to be. Once he was satisfied that he wouldn't spontaneously go blind, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and headed out the door. Perhaps the ladies were in need of refreshments?

Just thinking about the two goddesses out on deck was enough to distract him from the pain.

 He didn't get more then a few steps out the door before his captain came hurtling towards him from his right.

“Sanji! Meeeeeaaaat!” Sanji side-stepped out of reflex, leaving Luffy to rocket past him, collide with the railing and, because it was just one of those days, fall over the edge and into the ocean below. Muttering every curse he knew, Sanji kicked off his shoes and followed his brain-dead captain in a single, fluid motion born from routine.

The water was pleasantly cool, and for the first time since leaving Water 7 his headache faded away. He almost forgot what he was doing in his sudden comfort, but swam after his sinking captain nevertheless. He caught Luffy by the wrist, and with a strong kick sent them both up to the surface where the rest of the crew was waiting to fish them out of the water.

 Once back on deck, he wasted no time in berating his captain.

“You idiot!”

Luffy blinked.

“Eh? But you're the one that moved!” Sanji spat out his soggy cigarette and tried to stop his eye from twitching too much.

“Like hell this is my fault! What did you _think_ I was gonna do when you came flying at me?”

Judging by Luffy's face, thinking hadn't really entered the equation at all. With a sigh, Sanji kicked him. It was more out of principle than anything else, as he didn't really have the energy to deal with his exuberant captain at the time being. Punishment duly meted out, he headed for the mens' quarters. There was no way he could serve the girls looking the way he did.

Upon entering he briefly debated just slipping into his bunk for a while. Now that his headache had been warded off, his exhaustion was catching up to him and demanding attention. It had been a while since he _really_ slept, first with the headaches starting not long after fleeing from the Marines at Water 7, and then the whole ordeal on Thriller Bark and – nope, he was not going to think about Thriller Bark. It only left a nasty taste in his mouth and a weight at the pit of his stomach.

Shaking his head to rid himself of both unpleasant images and the temptation of sleep, he opened his locker and rummaged around for a dry set of clothes. Because the day was apparently not _quite_ done screwing with him, he managed to accidentally knock a box of his smaller belongings to the floor, where they of course scattered in all directions.

 “ _Fucking hell!_ ”

 He knelt down and started to gather his things back in the box, grumbling curses and feeling his headache prepare for a triumphant return. Well, the painlessness had been fun while it lasted.

He was drawn from his tirade when he spotted a small, black pouch closed with string. For a moment he just held still, old memories suddenly on the forefront of his mind. He'd nearly forgotten about that thing... Gently, he picked it up, pulled open the string and tipped the bag. Out fell an ocean blue pendant which fit comfortably in his hand. Flipping it over, he examined the single, silver spiral in the middle.

He chuckled a little then, remembering the day he had received it. He'd felt so self-conscious about his eyebrows that matched the carving all too well. Granny had laughed at that, assuring him that the spiral was not a jab at his appearance.

The pendant didn't hang from a chain, but rather a cord made up of thin strips of braided leather. There were three small, pale turquoise beads hanging on either side of the charm.

It was honestly a rather peculiar thing, nothing like the charms he remembered the old lady making. She had always worked with wood, seashells, leather and string, and at most small rocks worn smooth by the tide. Yet here she had used what appeared to be semi-precious stone for both the pendant and the beads, and he had no idea why she had departed from her usual raw materials. They must have cost her a fortune, too... He felt a little bad about that, as he really didn't think he deserved having such money spent on him. He felt guiltier still about the fate of the blue book.

He could tell his headache was starting to build again and growled. He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

Unable to muster up the motivation to pick up his things just then, he sat down on the floor and brought the pendant up to his forehead. It was cool to the touch, just like the water had been during his impromptu swim, and much to his delight it seemed to have the same soothing effect. His eyes slid shut and for the first time in a long while he let himself simply breathe.

His thoughts began to wander, going backwards through time. Enies Lobby, Skypiea, Alabasta, Reverse Mountain, Arlong Park, the Baratie... all the way back to a small island in North Blue.

* * *

_While the oysters toiled in silence, their efforts unknown to all, the silver shadows had spread to the far corners of the world and had begun to lift the strange spell of paralysis. Despite being invisible, there was not one living thing that did not feel the energy of the shadows ripple through them._

_It was a new thrill, a sense of exhilaration they had never known, and it inspired them like nothing had before._

_Where once had been mere existence, a chore of lasting long enough to see the next day, there was now a newfound life._

_All that lived no longer endured._

_They began to thrive._

* * *

The memories had faded somewhat over time, but there were a few that remained completely clear. He remembered spending hours at the harbor before he met granny, just watching the ships come and go. He'd stare out at the horizon, longing to sail to it, longing to live out there on the impossibly blue water.

As he had gazed into space and dreamed, he had caught a glimpse of silver in his peripheral. However, when he had turned around, there had been nothing there.

That had been the start, that flash of something just outside his view. It had kept on happening after that, and it had been _annoying as all hell_. He had spent ages trying to catch sight of whatever it was, but it had never worked, infuriating him to no end.

Eventually, he had gotten used to it and learned to ignore it. But then he had started seeing them in front of him just before he would fall asleep and just after he woke up, when he was in a state of semi-consciousness. His sight was always just bleary enough to blur out any details, and by the time he had registered what was happening the silver things had already gone.

When he learned to ignore that too, they started showing up at other times, more and more often. By the time he had met granny, they were constantly present and would disappear only if he looked directly at them.

 After a while, they didn't disappear at all.

 By then, he had already asked several of the orphanage caretakers about them, and even some of the other children, but he had quickly found that no one had any idea what he was talking about. He had stopped asking, and in hindsight was rather glad the caretakers had dismissed it all as the product of a child's imagination instead of taking it as a sign of something abnormal.

He'd only asked granny about the silver shapes because on that day he had been able to see far more of them than usual. He couldn't say he'd been surprised by her answer, however, and had let it be.

And it wasn't even that bad, once he got used to it. The shapes had a mesmerizing quality to them, moving like a school of fish. It was for that reason that he had started privately referring to them as such; in his mind, he called them the Fish. It might not be the most imaginative of names, but he felt it was apt. Hell, the things even looked kind of fish-shaped.

 Besides, he rather liked the word in the old tongue.

 They had become a part of his everyday life, and had remained so up until leaving Water 7. Not being able to see them all of a sudden was off-putting. He kept expecting to spot them moving leisurely around the galley, dancing over the deck, flitting between the mikan trees... but they never were. The world seemed flatter, somehow, as if a color had been removed, and he constantly felt as if his eyes were out of focus even when his vision was perfectly clear. The effect was disorienting and, he suspected, the cause of his headaches.

 So... what had happened back on Water 7 to cause the change?

 His thoughts were abruptly derailed by a crash out on deck, along with shouting from various crew members. In the seconds that followed, Sanji realized he was still sitting in the middle of the floor, dripping water everywhere, he'd been there for a while now, and...

 “ _Shit! The bread!_ ”

 He changed his clothes in record time, stuffed the pendant in his pocket, tossed his other things back in the box and shoved the box back into his locker, and ran out with his hair still wet.

He didn't notice he had spoken in the old tongue for the first time in years.

* * *

_Slowly, with new life pushing them forward, those who inhabited the world began to explore ever further. They found places they had never even dreamed of; the tallest of mountains, the deepest of trenches, the stormiest of skies. All were previously uninhabitable, their conditions too extreme._

  _But now..._

  _Gradually, over generations, some found their bodies more and more suited to live where it had once been impossible to do so. The second sibling's people, especially, began to see unprecedented diversity. Some grew tall enough to contend with mountains, others small enough to hide in the grasses. Some of the differences that began to emerge were plain to see, while others were far more subtle._

_And it kept going. After all, a world that can move is a world that can change._

_And a world that can change is a world that can grow._

* * *

He managed to save the bread, and dinner went about as smoothly as could be expected from the Straw Hats. The problems didn't occur until afterwards, when Sanji was halfway through doing the dishes.

 “We've got a storm coming!”

 The crew was instantly assembled out on deck, knowing Nami's tone meant business. As the winds picked up around them, the Straw Hats worked to follow their navigator's orders to the letter. Even so, they weren't quite fast enough and were quickly caught in the torrential rain.

“There's no way we'll be able to sail through this... Alright, we're making a detour! Fishman Island will just have to wait!” Nami fought to make her voice heard over the whistling wind and crashing waves. She called out a new heading, and at the helm Sanji and Franky wrestled with the ship's wheel to alter their course.

A wave swept over the deck, bigger than any the storm had thrown at them so far, accompanied by a strong gust of wind.

“CHOPPER!”

Sanji turned his head just in time to see the reindeer fall overboard, with none of the other non-Devil Fruit users close enough to help. With only a quick glance at Franky, Sanji ran towards the railing, grabbing one of the ropes they had intended to use as a lifeline as he went. He tossed one end to Brook, and tied the other around his waist.

“When I tug at it twice, pull us out!” The skeleton nodded, wrapping the end around his hand a couple times and bracing himself against the railing.

“Go, Sanji-san!”

 Sanji dove into the water for the second time that day.

 It was dark, and he had to actively fight the current. Diving deeper, he tried to catch sight of their doctor, and cursed internally when he couldn't. Too dark, too dark, _too damn dark!_

He had no choice but to keep going blind, even though he knew how much it diminished his chances of finding Chopper. If he could see something, _anything_...

He caught a glimpse of silver in his peripheral, a flash of something just outside his view. And then another, further down, a bit to his left. Then another, and another. He swam after them as fast as he could.

 He might have grinned just a little bit.

 He followed the Fish, and sure enough they led him to where he needed to be. Just in time, too, as he was beginning to run out of air. Grabbing hold of Chopper, he tugged twice on the rope and swam upwards. A second later, the rope tensed and pulled them both up and out of the water.

Zoro had joined Brook, and immediately took the small reindeer from Sanji's arms when they got close enough, making it easier for Sanji to climb over the railing and onto the deck. Untying the rope around his waist, Sanji noticed the sails had been pulled up.

“They're back on board, Nami-san!” called Brook. The navigator nodded, and turned toward the helm.

“Get us out of here, Franky!”

“Aye! Soldier Dock System, Channel 0!” The Thousand Sunny's hidden engines came to life, and set to pushing the ship out of the storm.

* * *

_After years of continuous effort, the oysters finished their task. Each of the tears had been changed into something new, reborn as something beautiful._

_The oysters gathered to find the finest four of their creations, for only they would be suitable gifts for the remaining siblings. The search yielded the most lustrous, smoothest and most shapely of the pearls, and it was the oysters that carried them that set off to find the ocean-dwelling sisters._

_The other oysters stayed on the sea floor, their pearls a gift to all who mourned, a reminder that even the deepest of grief, the greatest of pain, and the bitterest of tears could herald a new beginning._

* * *

By the time they made it to calmer waters and lowered the anchor it was very late, and everyone was utterly exhausted. Brook was unfortunate enough to have the first watch, and had made his way up to the crow's nest with barely a skull joke. The others had all dragged themselves to their quarters, and this left Sanji all alone in the galley. He was just as tired as everyone else, and part of him certainly longed to simply crawl into his bunk and sleep until they found the One Piece. The other more dominant part of him, however, couldn't bring himself to do so.

He'd seen them again! Even if only briefly, he'd seen the Fish again! His headache had receded, too, although it wasn't entirely gone. Maybe his problems would just fix themselves for once...

He honestly hadn't realized how much he'd missed the stupid silver things, and still did now that they were gone again. It left him restless despite the fact that he was about to fall asleep right where he stood.

He didn't realize he had moved until he found himself outside the aquarium, but decided to roll with it and let his legs guide him to the couches. He didn't sit so much as collapse into the cushions in an undignified heap. He immediately resigned himself to staying there, as there was no way in hell he was getting up again.

For a while he just lay there, staring up at the aquarium. A few slivers of moonlight filtered through from outside, and it gave the scene an ethereal quality. Some fish got caught in the light, giving them a silver sheen. Sanji nearly laughed. He'd known, hadn't he? On some level he'd known that this was where he wanted to be, watching the fish that were as comforting as they were breathtaking, almost like the ones in his head...

They weren't quite the same, of course. The fish inside the aquarium were flesh and bone, trapped behind the glass. The Fish he was accustomed to seeing could not be confined. He'd tried to catch some in a jar once, but found they could pass through solid objects, like ghosts. In a way it was rather odd that they almost never seemed to use this ability, preferring to flow around obstacles instead. He couldn't understand why they did this, but he had nevertheless always admired their graceful movements and even tried to emulate them as a kid. It would sure as hell be helpful in the kitchen to be able to move with such ease...

Another quirk he'd noticed was that the Fish would fade from his sight as soon as they got within a certain distance of a person, and then fade back in again when they had moved further away. He'd never figured that one out, but it probably didn't matter anyway. It was only one of the many unsolved mysteries that surrounded the Fish.

Absentmindedly, he reached into his pocket. He was relieved to find the pendant still there, despite his earlier dive, and carefully drew it out. Its ocean blues and silver matched his surroundings, fitting right in with the rippling shadows of moving water, the gentle motions of the fish, and the low but clear light, and he couldn't help but feel as if he, too, was underwater. The ship rocked like a cradle, and slowly he fell asleep, pendant still in hand.

* * *

_The siblings still mourned their sister, no matter how many years had passed them by. They became withdrawn, sorrowful even in their duties. They could no longer find the love for their homes, forgot what drove them all to choose as they had. They watched from afar as the world took on new life, unable to look at their sister's final gift without seeing her sickly form moments away from death, without remembering their failure. Their people worried for them, but could do nothing to help._

  _The oysters found the two sisters sitting in silence, so different from the lively conversations they used to share. The sisters welcomed them, but their hearts were clearly trapped in another time. Quietly, the oysters spoke their cause, and presented the pearls._

_The sisters stared in disbelief, seeing their grief transformed. The youngest sister's words echoed through their heads for the first time since her death._

 “ _I do not wish for you to be sad.”_

  _The sisters looked around them, and saw not their sorrow, but a world unclouded by tears, vibrant, alive. Oh, how ungrateful they had been! Their sister may lay resting beneath the waves, but her will, her love, her life... they resounded throughout the ocean, land and sky, and it had been foolish of the siblings to forget it._

_They would not do so again._

_The sisters thanked the oysters for their most valuable gifts, and headed for the surface to meet with their brothers. They gave them each a pearl, and together the siblings wept._

_There was no need for interference this time, however, as tears of joy are the sweetest tears of all._

* * *

 Sanji dreamed of Enies Lobby that night.

 He dreamed of the strange feeling he'd had, the sense that something huge was building up as the crew fought opponent after opponent to reach their captain. In the few seconds he had to spare between kicks, he'd looked to the sky.

The Fish were gathering, all headed in the same direction the Straw Hats were, and that was unusual in itself. He had no time to dwell on it, however, and moved on.

It wasn't until he made it to the roof that he really saw what was happening. He'd never seen so many of the Fish in one place, but there they were, swimming slow, large circles around the area. As the Straw Hats took their places and called out to Robin, the Fish began to move faster, with more gathering every second. Sanji forced himself to look away, but he could still see them from the corner of his eye.

He was watching a storm build, and the Straw Hats were in the middle.

Far above them Robin shouted at them to leave, to forget about her, _she did not want to be saved_ , and the Fish moved ever faster. More and more, quicker and quicker, a wall of silver began to rise around them. Surely, the others must see it? They were at the bottom of a whirlpool, in the eye of a hurricane, but somehow he was the only one...

 There was a roar in his ears, and he wondered how something utterly silent could be so loud.

 Then Luffy's voice rose above it all, drowning out the cacophony in his head.

“Sogeking... Shoot that flag.”

A sudden hush fell on the world around him as Sanji watched Usopp lift his slingshot, pull back, and let go, every bit the brave warrior he dreamed of being. It was fire that took off across the sky, but it trailed silver, the Fish moving as if to carry the shot to its mark. Surely, Usopp must hold the heavens in his hands, for how else could he have commanded a shooting star to fly...

And then the flag of the World Government was up in flames and Sanji nearly forgot how to breathe. The Fish danced around the bonfire, celebrating it, and the storm was roaring again, the rushing silver nearly blinding him and how, _how could no one else see something so vast?_

 Around and around and around and around...

 Yet even though it threatened to overwhelm him and push him to his knees, shivers racing up and down his spine, he was not afraid, for he realized they were standing in a storm of their own creation. They had declared war on the world, and the world would feel it.

Then Luffy's voice cut through again.

“I haven't heard it from you yet!” Faster, faster, faster, around and around... “Say you want to live!”

Sanji stood straight and kept looking forward, because right now Robin needed to see their faces, to see they were not afraid of her, of her past, of her power. She needed to see that they wanted her back, that they would take on the world for her, that she was their nakama and it was high time she came home.

 Around and around, higher and higher, a pillar to hold up the sky...

 Sanji watched as some Fish moved between them, from Luffy to Robin, and even before she answered Sanji knew their captain's words had reached her.

“I wadda live!”

For the briefest moment, all held still to bear witness as Robin declared her will to the world.

“Take me with you to the ocean!”

As if on command, the storm broke apart and soared outwards. The Fish dispersed as a tidal wave, blanketing the sky for as far as Sanji could see. Somehow, with certainty he had no means of justifying, he knew the Fish were carrying their names.

  _We are the Straw Hats, and we are not afraid._

_Challenge us if you dare!_

 They all knew they'd shaken the world that day, but none were as acutely aware of it as Sanji.

* * *

 He slept peacefully through the night, with the Fish swimming lazy circles around him.


	3. Chapter 3

_The four siblings returned to their homes with renewed spirit, and their people welcomed them with open arms. For far too long they had watched their protectors be weighed down by grief, to the point where many had begun to lose their faith in the siblings ever going back to the way they had once been. To see them now, back to their former glory, brought joy to them all._

_Or at least... almost all._

* * *

Despite his exhaustion, Sanji woke up just before dawn as he always did. He groaned and turned over, hoping to convince himself to sleep a little longer, but eventually lost the battle and got up. The pendant fell to the floor with a small thunk, and for a few seconds he just stared at it uncomprehendingly. Then he picked it up and, after a bit of fumbling, managed to hang it around his neck. He made his way out of the aquarium bar and went through his morning routine mechanically, pretty much sleep-walking through the whole thing. It was only as he stood outside smoking and watching the sunrise that he realized that something was different.

One, his head no longer hurt, and two, the Fish were back.

Sanji blinked once, and then again for good measure. A slow grin broke out on his face, and with a laugh he reached out to a small cluster of Fish, fully expecting them to slip away or disappear altogether as they always did.

He was immensely surprised when they did neither.

They remained where they were and he could have touched them if he wanted, and it was only the sudden and inexplicable feeling of it being horribly wrong to do so that prevented him from acting on the impulse. His hand stopped just shy of the Fish, hovering uncertainly. He started to pull back but froze in place again when the Fish followed. They circled around his hand almost tentatively, and Sanji was struck with the sense that he was being observed. The Fish moved further up his arm and back to his hand again, the feeling of being under scrutiny intensifying and becoming a little unnerving.

“Wha...” The question died before he could finish asking it, as the Fish stopped abruptly where they were just above his palm. The stillness seemed heavy, as if they were expecting something to happen and for the life of him he couldn't shake the impression that their attention was on him. He opened his mouth to say... something, though what exactly that something would be he had no idea.

“What're y' doin'?” Sanji nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. The Fish dispersed, taking the strange feeling with them, and Sanji whirled around to face the speaker. It was Usopp, looking more asleep than awake, probably having had last watch. Sanji hadn't heard him coming down from the crow's nest at all! How long had he been standing there?

Suddenly aware of how stupid he must look, Sanji stuffed his hands in his pockets in an attempt to pretend he hadn't just been startled by Usopp of all people.“...Stretching,” he answered lamely. The sniper gave him a blank look, but Sanji couldn't tell if it was because he didn't buy it or because he was about to fall asleep where he stood.

“Mhm.” Either way, it seemed Usopp decided to let it be. “Since you're up, I'm gonna go get a few hours of sleep...,” he paused to yawn, “before breakfast.” Without waiting for a reply, Usopp staggered off towards the men's quarters. Sanji, for his part, lingered on deck a little longer, staring at the space the Fish had occupied.

What the hell had that been about?

* * *

_The youngest sibling's people found it hard to join the celebrations, for despite the fact that few of them had ever even met her and she had been their guardian in little more than name, they still felt her absence. A part of them all had been lost, a part which none had known to be there. They found themselves drifting in uncertainty, their only true connection to the siblings severed._

_They did not believe the second sibling would drive them out, of course, but up until now they had been under his protection by request of the fifth. They were grateful but held no real loyalty to him, no sense of kinship. Neither the second sibling nor his people could understand the yearning for the sea they had all inherited, or the strange disconnect they were all experiencing._

_None of the other siblings would either, for that matter. The first sibling's realm was distant, overlooking the world, and so empty. The clouds could act akin to waves, the birds akin to fish, but the heavens were truly alien to those who had always lived on the ground._

_The third and the fourth siblings would understand their love of the ocean, but wouldn't know the frustration of never being able to have it. The youngest sister's people did not share her illness, but they could not live beneath the waves. Their forms had been decided when she had been forced to choose the land, and no matter how much those forms shifted and evolved, they would never be able to call the ocean floor home._

_The more the fifth's people dwelled on it, the more they came to realize that they did not belong anywhere._

* * *

Robin was, as usual, the first to enter the galley. Sanji was still in the middle of his prep work, but he'd already made a pot of coffee just for her. The others wouldn't wake up for some time yet, so he relished the time he could spend uninterrupted with the crew's beautiful archaeologist.

“Robin-chwan, here's your coffee, made with my undying love and devotion!” he practically sang as he set down a cup with flourish, followed by the pot in case she wanted a refill.

“Thank you, Cook-san.” Sanji danced back to the counter to continue his work with an idiotic grin on his face. Robin sat quietly, sipping her coffee every now and then, but unlike her normal routine she did not pull out a book, opting to observe him instead. He didn't mind, of course, not in the least! He did, however, begin wonder if something was wrong, as her expression was completely unreadable. Perhaps the coffee was not to her liking...?

He was about ask if he had truly committed so grave a sin as to mess up her beverage when Robin beat him to the punch.

“You seem to be in a good mood this morning, Cook-san.” That gave him pause. It was an innocent enough comment, but he knew there had to be far more to it than that.

“But of course! I have been bestowed the honor of your radiant presence, after all!”

Robin smiled a little, but shook her head. “While that is flattering, it is not what I meant. You've been rather... stretched thin lately, and I can't help but wonder why.”

Ah. She'd noticed, then. Honestly, it should have been pretty obvious that she would, brilliant and observant as she was. Her concern warmed his heart and he briefly debated telling her at least some of what had been going on, but decided against it immediately.

“I'm fine, don't worry,” he assured her with his most charming smile. Her expression told him she wasn't having any of it, so he hurried to elaborate just a bit. “Really! Something was bothering me a little before, but it's gone now. Everything's fine, I promise.”

Robin still looked skeptical, but seemed to take his word for it. “If you say so, Cook-san. Whatever the case may be, it is good to see you in high spirits again.” With one final look in his direction, she pulled out a book and began to read. Sanji got back to work and resolved to work on his subtlety. There was no point in bothering the others with his problems when there was nothing anyone could do about them.

Besides, he hadn't lied to Robin; the Fish were back and his headache was gone. Everything really was fine again.

* * *

_As time passed, the youngest sibling's people grew more and more distant. The second sibling's people did their best to include them, to treat them as their own, but one by one began to give up as their efforts yielded no results. Eventually, some of that disappointment turned to bitterness, and the youngest sister's people were pushed ever further away._

_The siblings noticed this, and the second especially felt guilty. There was nothing he could do to make his beloved sister's own feel at home, nothing he could say to cross the distance they had created. He thought long and hard, and tried his hardest to remind his people that they should be welcoming, not hostile, to no avail. He turned to his family for aid, but they had no answers to provide, no advice to give, no comfort to offer. They were all as unsure as he was._

_Yet they shared another sentiment: the refusal to fail their sister in this way, not when they had failed her so greatly before. They would find a way to reconnect her people to the world, no matter what it took._

* * *

The rest of the crew filed in one by one, and all semblance of peace was destroyed when Luffy burst in demanding food. They fell into their well-established routine of grabbing whatever they could get, shouting their conversations, and defending their food from one bottomless pit of a captain. Sanji was in the middle of the action, moving between seats and making sure everyone had their fill. He'd eaten a little beforehand, and would finish off what he'd set aside as soon as everyone was gone. In the meanwhile he shouted, laughed and defended unsuspecting plates together with everyone else.

He found his attention a little divided, however. The Fish were moving in a flurry alongside him, and more often than not he found himself following their motions as he ducked and wove around the flailing limbs and utensils. There was a surprising ease to it, as the Fish would always choose the path that was the most natural to follow. Still, their movements weren't unusual. What _was_ unusual was how close they got to him and everyone else. They really ought to have disappeared or moved away by now, but just like earlier they... didn't.

Sanji had no idea what to make of it. He was pretty sure they could do no harm, at least, so he wasn't particularly worried. It didn't make it any less odd, though.

Once breakfast was over and the table was cleared, Nami laid out a map of the area. Sanji listened from his spot by the sink, washing the dishes as the crew revised their plans.

“Alright, so the storm threw us pretty far off course. I think it'd be best to head for the nearest island, let the Log Pose reset, and then move on from there.” Nami traced their current course on the map, which was indeed rather far from where they should have been.

Luffy made a face. “Awwww, but I wanna go to Fishman Island!”

“We'll get there, it's just gonna take us a little longer.”

“But I wanna go there _now_!”

“Tough luck.”

“But Namiiiii...”

Sanji turned towards the conversation, brandishing a frying pan. “You heard the lady! We'll get there when we get there!” Luffy whined some more, but let Nami get on with it.

“Thank you, Sanji-kun. Now, the closest island to our position is Merchant Island, a few days away.” Robin leaned forward to peer at the map.

“Ah, I've heard of it. It supposedly has one of the largest markets in this stretch of the Grand Line, which is rather impressive considering that the island itself isn't all that big. They're also said to be friendly towards pirates.”

“Soooo... we _won't_ have to be ready to run for our lives at any given second?” Usopp asked hopefully. Robin nodded.

“As long as we don't cause any trouble, no. The island has no Marine base of its own, but there are always a few ships around they can call in on a moment's notice.” Usopp's shoulders sagged.

“We're doomed, then.”

“Not as long as everyone behaves,” Nami cut in, “which means no starting fights, no angering the locals, and no breaking the market, accidentally or otherwise.” All eyes turned to Luffy, who was picking his nose.

“...What?”

“We're doomed,” Usopp repeated.

* * *

_For the first time since her death, the siblings returned to their sister's home. It was just as they had left it, as if no time had passed at all. They paused at the entryway to pay their respects, then ventured inside. Her belongings were untouched, and the siblings were hesitant to break the spell of stillness that pervaded the space._

_It was tranquil, this home locked in a moment that had long since passed. It would not have been difficult to believe their sister was still alive, waiting for them just behind the corner, ready to write down the stories they told her or working on the trinkets she'd make to pass the time. Oh, how the siblings wished it were so! If only she were there, smiling kindly as she always did..._

_But no, she was no more. Never again would she listen bright-eyed to their tales, never again would she accept the little gifts they brought her, never again would she use her hands to create things of beauty from the most mundane of objects. And yet..._

_And yet her presence lingered here, like she had never left._

 

* * *

They were approaching the island, and would make landfall in a couple hours. In the meantime, Nami was sharing out everyone's allowances.

“I don't care what kind of project you're working on, that's all you're getting! You should be grateful I'm giving you anything at all, after your last 'experiment' ruined my favorite shirt!”

“It was an accident, and I said I was sorry! Pleeeaase, Robin said that they sell just about everything here, so they probably have the tools I've been looking for!” Usopp begged, but squeaked and hid behind Franky at the navigator's glare.

“Don't worry, little bro! I'll chip in, if you'll let me borrow them.” Usopp nodded frantically and dragged Franky out of the galley, as far away from Nami as possible. Nami muttered something under her breath before turning back to the others.

“What about you, Sanji-kun? How much do you need to buy?”

“The storm cost me a good number of plates, I'd like to replace those... It wouldn't hurt to do some restocking, either.” He ran through the inventory in his head and gave Nami an estimate of how much he needed. She parted with the sum, ignoring the praises he sang her in the process.

As the island came into view, Sanji drafted Usopp into helping him with the groceries, despite the sniper's complaints.

“Oh, shut it! You can't buy whatever the hell it is you're looking for without Franky, and he has to stick around to make some repairs.”

“Why can't you just get Zoro to carry stuff instead?”

“Marimo's still too injured to be of any use to anyone, and everyone else had some excuse lined up. So deal with it! I don't even need to buy that much, it won't take that long.” Usopp grumbled something which sounded suspiciously like an insult, but agreed when Sanji began to tap his shoe against the deck in a totally non-threatening way. Sanji grinned innocently in response.

The harbor was large, taking up a good portion of the island's southern coast. The amount of traffic was insane. Ships of all sizes were constantly coming and going, including several pirate ships. Beyond the harbor, the wide streets were lined with colorful stalls and shops with merchants loudly hawking their wares.

Luffy was bouncing about in excitement (having changed his mind about the island after all) and it was only Nami's grip on the back of his shirt that kept him from rocketing off before the ship could come to a halt. Chopper shared in the captain's enthusiasm, rattling on and on about medicines and herbs he hoped to find, and what he could do with them. Most of it went right over Sanji's head, but he grinned at the young doctor anyway.

With the ship properly docked, Nami let go of their captain who promptly took off with a “Woohoo!” The Straw Hats let out a collective sigh.

“How long before he gets into trouble, d'you think?”

“Maybe an hour, give or take.”

“He'd better wait until the Log Pose sets if he knows what's good for him.”

Shouts echoed from the direction Luffy had disappeared to.

“...How about we just leave now and save ourselves the trouble?”

A crash.

“The mosshead might be onto something there.”

Somewhere in the distance, their captain crowed in delight.

“ _They're selling floating rocks! SO! COOL!_ ”

 

* * *

_They did not belong. Their bodies were of the land, but their hearts were of the sea and no matter where they went, one was always breaking. With no one to guide them, they began to wander in search of something to call their own. They kept to the coasts, avoiding the second's people where they could, cooperating with them where they had to._

 

_They yearned to follow the winds out to open ocean, but hadn't the means; the small fishing boats they learned to build could not go far._

 

_One place to another, they journeyed without destination. There was nothing else for them._

 

* * *

The shopkeeper gave him a nasty glare as he paid for his purchases, and Sanji was sure to give one right back. What the hell was wrong with these people? This was the third vendor in as many shops to apparently hate the two Straw Hats on sight. Sure, their crew had a reputation, but Sanji and Usopp had been perfectly polite during their shopping trip (although Sanji admittedly _had_ demonstrated his displeasure at the poor treatment).

It wasn't like anyone else was dealing with the same problem, either. Sanji had seen guys armed to the teeth who looked far more likely to start shit than the two Straw Hats being treated like fucking royalty, but as soon as he went up to a stall the duo would receive looks ranging from heavy suspicion to outright hostility. The only reason he could possibly think of was Luffy barreling through and messing things up, leaving everyone wary of the entire crew, but he was sure their idiot of a captain had gone in the completely opposite direction.

With a final glare towards the shopkeeper, he picked up his bags and dragged Usopp off to the next stall. The vendor smiled at them, but his expression quickly changed after taking in their appearance. Honestly, fuck these people.

“How may I help you?” The question was terse, but was significantly better than what they got from the last one. At least this guy was pretending to be polite. He managed to keep up the act to the end too, even though Sanji would guess it took all the self-control the man had.

“This is 'friendly', is it?” Usopp muttered to the cook as they headed to the next stall.

“Compared to some of the other places we've been to?” Sanji pointed out, if only because he refused to believe Robin would ever be so far off the mark. Then again, if he was right about this rudeness only being directed at them, Robin wasn't wrong and the Straw Hats were simply an exception to the rule for whatever reason.

“Okay, yeah, it's better than some, but I didn't think they'd try to murder us with their eyes! We haven't even done anything wrong!”

“Like that's ever stopped anyone before.”

Usopp started to argue, but then thought better of it. “Point.” He cast a nervous glance around the markets, and added, “I just hope they don't call in the Marines.”

By the time they finished their errands and started back towards the docks, they both felt a little uneasy. Every vendor they had spoken to had been phenomenally rude, and while the navy had yet to storm the place, the possibility did not seem far-fetched in the slightest.

Climbing aboard the Sunny, Sanji was surprised to find Robin watching the ship.

“Where's Franky?” he asked, annoyed that the shipwright would disappear and leave his job to the lovely archaeologist.

“He needed more materials for repairs, something about our ropes being too frayed.” Sanji opened his mouth to protest, but Robin cut him off. “I volunteered to guard the ship in his stead, and I assure you it isn't a bother.”

“Alright, but please let me take over once I've put everything away. You deserve to enjoy your free time, not get stuck here doing someone else's job!” Sanji pleaded.

“Thank you, Cook-san, but that's not necessary. I'll have plenty of time to explore later, Navigator-san says it will take three days for the Log Pose to set.” Sanji wanted to argue, but Robin's tone was one of finality.

“If... if you're sure...”

Robin smiled. “I am. Now, allow me to assist you with the groceries.”

 

* * *

_It was both comforting and painful for the siblings to enter the heart of the home, their sister's workroom. Here, she had always written down and bound their stories. Here, she had poured her creativity into the little things she made, each with their own unique meaning._

_She was gone, but here, more than anywhere else, the siblings still felt her presence._

_The shelves were lined with all she had made, just waiting to be picked up. The siblings realized that in a way it all belonged to them now, but could not bring themselves to think about it as theirs. Yet at the same time they could not bear to leave everything as it was, to be forgotten and left behind. Their sister's memory deserved better._

_They resolved to give their sister's belongings to her people, a final link to the guardian they had never known but loved nonetheless._

* * *

Sanji wandered around the marketplace, having been ushered off the ship by Robin. He was looking for any more exotic ingredients the market may have to offer, ones he hadn't bothered to buy earlier because they were not absolutely necessary. He'd already come across several spices he'd only ever heard of, as well as some rather interesting fruits. He would honestly be enjoying himself immensely if it wasn't for the shitty attitudes the vendors kept meeting him with.

He was also looking for something to give to Robin, to show his appreciation for her hard work. She deserved it for selflessly giving up her free time to do what should have been Franky's job. Perhaps he'd get her a book? He doubted he'd find anything directly related to Robin's goal, but she was interested in history in general as well. So maybe some kind of historical text...?

He stopped outside of a promising shop. Through the window, he could see shelves upon shelves of books, and he figured the place was his best bet. The bell above the door jingled to signal his arrival, but apart from that the shop was silent. It was rather cozy, and although he had come in to look for something to give to Robin, he kind of wanted to find a book and a corner and sit down to read himself. He still loved a good story just as much as he had when he was kid, but he hadn't really had the chance to indulge recently.

“Hello?” he called. There was some shuffling from somewhere at the back of the store, followed by muffled cursing.

“Hold on, I'll be right with you! I just have to find... aha!” A man who appeared to be in his fifties emerged from behind a bookshelf, carrying a tome which was bigger than a reasonable book had any business being. The man also looked like he had been rolling around in a century's worth of dust. Sanji decided to keep his distance (he did not want dust on his nice clean suit, thank you very much), and waited for the inevitable glare and barely concealed hostility he had come to expect.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! Now, how may I help you?”

Sanji blinked. That... hadn't actually been rude at all. He studied the man carefully for any sign that might suggest what he really thought, but had to conclude that either he wasn't acting or he was really, really good at it.

“Is something wrong?” the man asked, and Sanji realized he'd been staring awkwardly.

“Ah, no! Um, I'm looking for something for an archaeologist friend of mine...”

“Anything in particular?”

Sanji scratched the back of his neck. “Er... something history-ish?”

The man laughed. “Alright, our oldest books are over this way, if you'll just follow me...” He headed for the shelves at the far right corner of the shop, with Sanji trailing behind him. “So tell me, what had you so surprised when you came in? I know I'm not in my prime anymore, but I don't look _that_ bad,” the man remarked jovially.

“Huh? Oh. No-one else I've spoken to today has been particularly welcoming is all. I was expecting more of the same,” Sanji answered, eyeing the shelves piled high with books. The man frowned for a moment, before a look of realization spread over his features.

“Oh dear, I'm sorry about that.” He paused to sidestep around a stack of books which looked like they'd seen better days. “The locals are incredibly superstitious. The stars probably aren't correctly aligned for you to be wearing dress shoes, or something equally absurd.”

“...You're not one of them?”

“A local, you mean? Nah. Moved here a good twenty-five years ago, so I've been around long enough to learn most of the customs, but their beliefs will always be beyond me. Ah, here we are...” He stopped in front of a large set of shelves which Sanji thought looked ready collapse under the weight of everything on them.

“I'll leave you to browse. If you need anything, just give me a call.” With that, he headed back to the front of the shop and left Sanji to his own devices.

Sanji stepped closer to the shelves, a little afraid that touching something would bring everything crashing down. The books themselves were all worn and faded to varying degrees, and he was pretty sure some of them would disintegrate if he so much as sneezed at them. Since powdered book made for a lousy gift, he moved onto the ones which were in better shape, absentmindedly running his fingers over the spines as he searched for one that looked even mildly interesting.

He pulled one out at random and skimmed through it, but it was nothing more than some old-as-balls record of trading routes that had existed somewhere at some point. Boring, and probably useless. Similarly, the next book turned out to be the log of some ship he'd never heard of and didn't seem to be of any consequence.

The third book he pulled out didn't have a title on the spine or cover, and was bound in thick leather that was clearly meant to last. He opened it in the middle, somewhat curious.

Sanji didn't drop the book, but it was a close call.

 

* * *

_Although the siblings had gathered all of their sister's belongings to give to her people, they felt their intended gift was inadequate. Mere items could not convey their sister's essence, nor did they necessarily offer any benefit to the recipients._

_It was the third sibling who suggested they add in gifts of their own, as both an apology and gesture of goodwill._

_The brothers decided to give the vessel they had built to take their sister far out to sea and the knowledge needed to recreate it. The sisters decided to offer the blessings of the ocean; while they could not forever calm its storms, the seas could become a place of healing and life._

_Together, the siblings decided to give their sister's home as well as the island it resided on. Together, they decided to give her final resting place._

_As one last gift, they each placed spells on the trinkets their sister had crafted; blessings of fair winds, of good health, of favorable fortune, of strength. Yet when it came to the last one, they knew not what spell to place upon it._

_It was then they heard a whisper, felt the gossamer touch of what should no longer be. The silver shadows that had been almost completely lost to their sight since the death of their sister showed themselves again, dancing around the impossible presence._

_The shadows converged upon the trinket, engraving their mark into it. The siblings shared a moment of silence, warmth and certainty, then as one placed the last spell._

 

* * *

Sanji had not seen the old tongue written down since the blue book had burned together with the orphanage, and honestly had never expected to see it again. As such, finding it on the pages in front of him surprised him enough to slam the book closed.

He stood frozen for a moment, marshaling his thoughts into some coherent order. Taking a deep breath, he carefully opened it again at the first page.

' _Captain Elias Lonn_

_Ship's log of...._ '

Sanji closed the book, far more gently this time, and headed straight for the front of the store, all thoughts of Robin temporarily forgotten. The old man sat behind the counter, writing down something, but he looked up as Sanji approached.

“Ah, did you find what you were looking for?”

“What can you tell me about this one?” Sanji asked, forcing himself to sound calm and holding the book up. The man examined it, and frowned.

“Well if I'm quite honest with you, that thing has been a bit of a pain in the neck for me.”

Sanji was unable to mask his curiosity. “How so?”

“I bought it off some traveler a few years back. Said he'd found it on an uninhabited island in... South Blue, I think it was? Something to do with a shipwreck, anyhow.” The man's brow furrowed as he tried to remember. “I figured something as old as that thing appears to be had to be valuable, so I paid a rather hefty sum for it. Bad move on my part. No matter how many collectors I've showed it to, no-one has ever been able to tell me what it even is, let alone shown interest in buying it. And why would they? It could be a guide to growing turnips for all we know.”

Sanji kept his face neutral, and bit down the urge to comment that a turnip-growing guide it most certainly was _not_. “Does that mean you'd be willing to sell it?”

The old man blinked in surprise. “You think that archaeologist friend of yours will be able to figure it out?”

“...She might,” Sanji replied, leaving out that she wouldn't really have to. The man looked him over slowly.

“I don't think you'll be able to afford what I originally paid for it,” he said. “But tell you what. Recommend my shop to this friend of yours, and I'll give it to you cheap.”

“Are you sure?” Sanji asked, a little thrown off by the man's generosity.

“Consider it an apology for the way you've been treated so far. I promise the islanders are usually far friendlier.”

Sanji paid the price the man asked for, and tucked the book into his jacket. Just as he turned to leave, the man cleared his throat.

“If you want to do your shopping without getting harassed, try the areas further from the harbor. That's where all the foreign merchants are set up, they shouldn't give you any trouble.”

Sanji nodded. “Thank you. Oh, I should probably ask... Given how much the people here dislike us, do you think they'll call the Marines on my crew?”

“Unless you cause real trouble, I doubt it. Calling in the Marines would mean all the pirates on the island would have to leave, and that would be terrible for business.”

“Good to know.” With that, Sanji left the shop and headed back towards the harbor.

It took all of his self-control not to run the distance.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

In the end, hurrying back to the ship made no difference. The rest of the crew had already returned, and as Nami had (wisely, of course) deemed it far too expensive for everyone to eat out for the entire duration of their stay, Sanji had to set aside his plans and impatience in order to do his job and feed the crew. He spent the entire evening itching to read the book and let everyone fend for themselves, but there was simply no way he could do that. He consoled himself with the fact that he got to try out some new recipes using the ingredients he had bought.

Even so, cooking, serving and cleaning the aftermath of a meal with the Straw Hats was always a time-consuming process, and by the time he was done the sun had long since set. He did not have watch, he was dead tired, and he still had to get up at the crack of dawn the next day to prepare breakfast, so it was with extreme reluctance that he gave up on the book for the night. On his way to the men's quarters he nearly changed his mind a grand total of six times, and double that before he managed to fall asleep.

Morning came around eventually, and saw Sanji back in the kitchen getting breakfast and lunch boxes ready. He was restless and his thoughts kept wandering back to the book, but his work was as impeccable as always. When the crew showed up to eat, he tried not to sound too eager in volunteering to watch the ship for the day, and had to try harder not to grin when everyone agreed.

* * *

_The fifth's people roamed far and wide, untethered and lost, but time moved on. Younger generations were born without ever knowing a permanent home, learning the way of the wanderer and forgetting that once upon a time, their people had sought a destination, an end to their journey. They became the vagabonds of the shores, the eternal travelers._

_But even they could not shake the longing for the seas, or the feeling of being slightly out of step with everything else._

* * *

“Ah, Robin-chwan!” Sanji called out to the archaeologist before she followed everyone off the ship. “I found a nice bookshop yesterday, and I thought you might be interested. The owner was rather helpful too.”

Robin nodded and listened carefully as Sanji gave her directions (interspersed with the appropriate compliments and praises of her beauty and intelligence, naturally). “Thank you Cook-san, I'll be sure to go have a look.” Then she too left and disappeared into the crowd.

Sanji made himself wait a few minutes just to be sure that no-one would come back and interrupt him, before he all but sprinted to the galley and fished out the book from where he'd left it among his own journals. He sat down on one of the bar stools at the counter, running his hands over the cover. It didn't have any of the embossing the blue book had had, but then again that had been a storybook while this was a captain's logbook; the different bindings were only to be expected. Now that he inspected it closer, he could see some damage to the edges of the covers that he'd failed to notice before. The color was a faded, and the spine was well-worn.

Carefully, he opened it up to the first page, re-reading what little he had seen the day before.

' _Captain Elias Lonn_

_Ship's log of the Kalevala_

_Almost all preparations have been complete, and we will be ready to leave Sammatti and begin the Kalevala's maiden voyage within the week should everything proceed as planned. The crew has..._ '

Here, the ink had smudged to the point of illegibility. What he _could_ make out after careful inspection was the date, and... well. This thing was older than he had imagined. By _centuries_. He checked the next page, wondering if he wasn't misreading the admittedly blurred text, and there it was: an entry dated six days later, same year.

Which put the book at more than 600 years old.

* * *

_It was the children who were able to make the best of the life the fifth's people had come to lead. To travel was ordinary in their eyes, and with no home to miss, they were able to find some joy. They played tag in the forests, built castles of sand for the little crabs they found on the beaches, laughed as the tides kissed the shoreline._

_And then came the strange games the adults could not understand. The children ran around, following a movement they could not see, and not long after began to chase shadows no-one else knew were there. All the while they told each other stories of places they had never visited, of people they couldn't possibly have ever met. They told stories of silver, of a treasure they could never catch._

_Not one of them could tell who was the first to share the stories, not one of them was sure where the stories came from at all._

* * *

The bell jingled above Robin's head as she entered. The shop's interior immediately gave her a good impression, matching the cook's description perfectly. He had a good eye for places like this, Robin had to admit.

“Welcome!” called a man she presumed to be the owner from behind the counter at the front of the shop. “How may I help you?”

“I'm here on the recommendation of a crewmate, he said your shop was worth looking into. I must say he appears to be right.”

The man looked her over for a moment, then smiled as something clicked in his mind. “Ah, you must be the archaeologist friend! Come in, come in, make yourself at home!”

Robin obliged, stepping further inside. “Your collection is impressive.”

“I should hope so, with how much I've had to pay for some of them. You'll find books from all over the world here, on just about any topic... Is there anything in particular you want to find, or would you prefer to just look around?”

Robin cast her eyes over the shelves, unable to quell her academic excitement at being surrounded by so much knowledge. Her expression and tone, however, remained neutral as she replied, “I think I'd like to explore a little bit, if you don't mind.”

The old man smiled in amusement. “I recognize a fellow bibliophile when I see one. Well, feel free browse as much as you like. I have everything sorted roughly by genre and subject matter, although the oldest works are in a section of their own towards the back over there. I'll be right here should you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

It truly was the kind of place you could wander around and lose track of time in, as Robin quickly discovered. It was entirely worth it, too; the old man really did have books from all over the world. She found several that captured her interest, and she would no doubt find more as she continued her way around the store.

It was a some two hours in when something started to bug her, and it took a while for her to identify what it was. No matter where she looked, she found little to nothing about Merchant Island itself; at least, not beyond some trade records, all of which were relatively recent. It was strange, an island this vibrant was sure to have a colorful history to match. Even beneath all the pandering to customers, Robin sensed the undercurrents of a strong cultural identity. Why, then, was there absolutely nothing to found about any of it?

Determined to find out, she took her intended purchases over to the front counter.

“Done so soon?” the old man asked amiably, checking the prices on the books Robin had set down and adding up the total.

“For the most part, yes. I was wondering if you had anything on the history of Merchant Island itself?” The man hesitated for a moment, as if debating his answer.

“I don't have much from around here, but there's a shop meant for tourists further down the street. You'll find a lot to do with the local superstitions, how to avoid bad luck and whatnot, as well as the history of the markets... but something tells me that isn't what you're after.”

“I was hoping for something that goes a little... deeper, yes.”

“Then you may be out of luck. I've lived here for a good twenty-five years, and I'm still in the dark about anything beyond the island's recent history.”

“There are no records? Can you not ask the locals, then?” Robin kept her inquiries as casual as she could while still appearing interested. It wouldn't help at all if the man felt like he was being interrogated.

“I can and I have, not that it did me much good. It's not that they refuse to tell me, it's that they can't. I honestly don't think the locals know much more than I do. Not one of them has even been able to tell me anything about the origins of all their beliefs. You'd think that if they're so adamant about putting your left shoe on first being terrible luck, they'd at least be able to tell you _why._ I'd be willing to accept 'the shoe spirits dislike left feet' as an explanation, but they can't even give me that.”

“And you have no idea why this is?” The Void Century could account for some missing history, but it was unlikely to have wiped out the foundations of a belief system. Even if it had, such a system would have reshaped itself to some degree over the 800 years since then, especially if the islanders still adhered to it this day.

The man shook his head. “None whatsoever.”

Robin looked him over, trying to assess whether or not she should believe him. He seemed genuine enough, but she knew better than take everything at face value. Either way, however, it was unlikely that she'd get any more useful information from him.

“Ah, that's a shame. But nevertheless, thank you for your help,” she said, paying for the books and gathering them up. The old man smiled at her.

“No problem! I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use. Oh, and before you go, are the islanders still giving your crew trouble?”

Robin blinked a bit in confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

“Yesterday your friend said they'd been less than welcoming, is that still the case?” This was definitely news to her.

“I can't say they've been anything other than friendly so far.”

The old man frowned. “Maybe it was just him, then... Not entirely impossible, I suppose.”

“I'll have to ask him about that...,” Robin muttered, more to herself. She was about to say her goodbyes, but the old man spoke up before she could.

“Um. There may be...,” he started slowly, as if conflicted over what he was trying to say, “...something... on the North side of the island, if you're curious.” The sudden change in topic threw Robin off a bit, but she quickly pushed that aside in favor of recalling the geography of the island. As far as she had seen, the North side was nothing but woodland. She gestured for the man to continue, which he did after a moment.

“It's not illegal to go there, but it most certainly isn't encouraged. I tried to check it out when I was younger, but I got caught and unfortunately pleading ignorance only works once.”

Robin frowned. “If it's not illegal, why would getting caught matter?”

“I moved here with the intention of making a living, and that would have been a lot harder if I was shunned for committing taboo. Even as it was, no-one would speak to me for a while after that.” Robin considered this new information carefully.

“And supposing they caught us?”

The man shrugged. “I doubt there'd be any serious consequences. You're travelers passing by, not residents. But if you do get caught... I never told you anything.”

Robin smiled. “Of course.”

* * *

_It was the quieter children who noticed it first, but the others caught on quickly._

_After every day of playing and traveling, after camp had been set up for the night, after they were done telling each other stories for their dreams to build on, they settled down to the sound of waves. One by one, the children began to hear the soft lullabies, the gentle tones of the sea. There were no words to make out, but the melodies they learned carried over to sunrise when they would sing them to each other, proud and excited and happy that the ocean would teach them something so beautiful._

_One by one they started to listen closer, in hopes that the ocean had more for them to hear. For a long time, there was nothing, but the children refused to give up._

_And then it began. An echo from far away and long ago caught in their ears, and the more they listened, the clearer it became. They began to whisper it among themselves, as if to test it, to taste it on their tongues. Like a ripple running through still water, the words spread; from child to adult, from camp to camp._

_Keep moving, the waves murmured._

“ _Keep moving,” the fifth's people repeated back._

* * *

Damn, he was out of practice. It didn't help that this Elias guy used some words in completely different contexts than Sanji had ever come across, or some sounds were written with symbols he had never seen. The latter, at least, wasn't terribly frequent and he was able to figure out what they meant after comparing to what he remembered. He'd still had to write it all out before he got to that point, but now at least he could easily check between the two highly similar alphabets (if they really qualified as separate at all, most of the smaller differences could easily be attributed to the guy's handwriting). The weirdly placed words weren't impossible to work out either, but since they were largely used in what he assumed were just figures of speech, he didn't always bother.

He didn't know how old the blue book had been, but he was reasonably sure the logbook was older. Maybe the writing style had shifted during whatever time separated the two? He didn't have any other ideas on why there were differences like that.

Whatever the case may be, he was still making headway. Sammatti, as it turned out, was an island in South Blue, which was nice to know as he'd never even heard of it before. The goal of the Kalevala's maiden voyage was to reach a nearby island, where Elias hoped to establish some kind of trade agreement between the two islands.

It... wasn't particularly exciting, in all honesty. Most of the entries just detailed the basic goings-on of the ship: how she was holding up, what needed to be repaired or adjusted, when and where (and if) they stopped for the night, bla bla bla. The only reason he'd kept reading was because it was written in the old tongue; there was something incredibly comforting about reading the familiar curving script. Absentmindedly, he brought his hand up to his chest, where his pendant rested beneath his shirt. He'd taken to wearing the thing again, as he had as a child. Between it and the book, he felt ridiculously nostalgic.

He turned the page gently, trying to avoid damaging the book more than it already was. Several entries had been impossible to read simply because they were so badly deteriorated.

' _We will be arriving at our destination shortly, and for that I am glad. The crew works well together, but I believe we could all use a brief respite from each other's presence. Moreover, as soon as we complete our negotiations, we will be free to begin the second leg of our journey and get started with our long-term objective._ '

Sanji blinked. They were already almost there? Somehow, he'd expected it to take longer. Not only that, but there had been no mention of anything to do with a secondary mission until now.

' _I have already compiled all of the old stories back home, but my elders have long since advised that much has been lost. It is my hope that I can find elsewhere what no longer exists on our island. If I can bring the old tales together, perhaps I can create something to help all of us remind ourselves of who we are. Even if that does not come to pass, at least I would like to save the stories from oblivion. They do not deserve to be washed away by the failing memory of history._ '

Well this was different. Collecting stories? It sounded more interesting than trade negotiations, that much was certain... even if it was a bit of an odd goal. Given the phrasing, Elias seemed to be referring to some particular stories, too.

Ever so carefully he read on, but the next several entries were more of the same short, matter-of-fact reports on the ship and crew. He didn't skip them, as that felt somehow disrespectful, but boredom started to creep in. At long last, the Kalevala reached its destination, and for a while the entries got longer but more sporadic, going on and on about the details of the proposed trade agreement. Sanji admittedly skimmed through those parts, but he did get the impression that the islanders were reluctant to agree with anything Elias suggested. Eventually, however, some kind of breakthrough was achieved and the agreement was signed. The entries took on a relieved and, if Sanji was interpreting the writing correctly, _excited_ tone.

Heh, it seemed not even Elias himself had found the Kalevala's first mission interesting in the slightest. Sanji couldn't blame him, this kind of stuff was dull as dishwater. He did wonder, however, why someone who was pretty clearly not a merchant had been left in charge of forging a trade agreement. Go figure.

He was about to push on, but voices from outside the galley caught his attention.

“...and they even had obsidian scalpels! Unfortunately they were way too expensive for me to buy, but can you imagine...!” Sanji closed the logbook and hurriedly gathered up the papers he'd been writing on as footsteps approached. While not exactly something he needed to keep secret, he didn't feel like explaining what he had been doing the whole day. He wished he'd had a bit more time to read, but there was nothing he could do. The door opened, and in walked Chopper and a rather bemused Zoro, who probably understood none of the medical jargon the small doctor was spewing.

“Sanji!” Chopper called out excitedly. “Look at all the herbs they had!” He proudly laid out everything he had bought on the table, pointing things out one by one. Some of the herbs Sanji could recognize, and he suggested adding them to the Straw Hats' meals. Chopper agreed readily, listing the ones he felt were most needed for the crew's health. They discussed different possibilities, but all the while Sanji couldn't help but wonder how the islanders had treated the reindeer. Surely, if they'd been as bad as yesterday, he wouldn't be so cheerful?

Actually, now that he thought about it, none of the crew members had brought up anything to do with the islanders after returning to the ship the evening before. He would have thought that one of them would have something to say on the matter. Sure, he and Usopp hadn't said anything either, but Usopp had been busy with some project or other again and Sanji himself had been incredibly distracted. With that thought in mind, he asked Chopper his question.

“What were the islanders like?” Chopper looked confused at the abrupt change in topic, but his face lit up as he answered.

“They're great! Everyone's so nice here! One of them even gave me a second cotton candy for free when I bought one!”

“It's annoying, they wouldn't leave us alone,” Zoro added, apparently deciding to join the discussion from next to the shelf where the alcohol was stored. “But you were out yesterday, so why are you asking?”

“It's called making conversation, Marimo.” The sarcastic response was entirely automatic, as Sanji was more interested in processing this new information. “And leave the booze alone! I just restocked and I sure as hell don't want to have to do it again immediately. If you want a drink, go buy your own!”

Chopper gasped and turned to Zoro with an angry expression. “You shouldn't be drinking at all! I told you already, alcohol won't help you heal!” Zoro glared at Sanji, it seemed he'd been trying to be subtle in stealing his sake. Sanji grinned brightly in return. The idiot was the one who'd spoken up and brought attention to himself; he was a lousy thief.

“I wasn't-,” the swordsman tried to explain to Chopper, but the young doctor wasn't listening.

“Don't you realize how badly injured you are?”

“I'm not-”

“Do you want to _die_? What if you just make it worse and I can't help you and, and, and...” Chopper started sniffling as he switched gears from angry to distraught. “I don't want you to diiiieee!”

Even the great Roronoa Zoro was no match for an upset Chopper, and Sanji was far too amused by the horrified expression that flitted over the swordsman's face. “Alright, alright! I promise I won't drink! Not gonna die, see?”

The change in Chopper's demeanor was near instantaneous, and not for the first time Sanji wondered if the reindeer actually knew _exactly_ what he was doing in using his inherent cuteness to his advantage. Sanji almost felt sorry for Zoro, but only almost. He was too busy relishing the swordsman's suffering to pity him.

As Chopper gathered up his things and headed off to the infirmary to put them away, Zoro leveled one of his best glares at Sanji, who put on an exaggerated expression of innocence.

“I'll get you for this, cook,” Zoro growled. Sanji placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt.

“You wound me, Marimo! I only had your health in mind! Oh, to see my kindness repaid with such anger... I fear I will never recover!”

“Keep going and I really _will_ wound you.” A lesser man would have been intimidated by Zoro's menacing tone, but Sanji just increased his theatrics.

“Alas! Will this callousness never end? Will this poor piece of moss ever learn the meaning of gratitude? Begone, I must grieve for my wasted courtesy!”

Zoro glared, grumbled something and then stomped out of the galley, slamming the door behind him. Sanji cackled in triumph. In any other circumstances the two of them would probably have fought, but Chopper had banned all strenuous activity for the swordsman and neither he nor Sanji were willing to risk the doctor's wrath, certainly not when said doctor was within earshot.

Still grinning in victory (for it most certainly had been his win), Sanji cleared the counters and brought out the ingredients for dinner. The others would be back soon enough, and in all likelihood they would be hungry. He'd make some adjustments to the recipe he intended to use to better suit the crew's tastes, and for that he could use some of his new spices...

As he worked, his mind circled back to his conversation with Chopper. Neither he nor Zoro had been bothered by the islanders, and Sanji wondered if that held true for the others as well. Was it just him and Usopp the locals had found to be offensive on a personal level? If so, _why_?

* * *

_Time flows steady, and slowly the children grew up to take their places among their own. They never forgot what they'd heard the ocean sing, and held onto the stories they had told. And while many lost sight of the shadows they'd played with, some never let go._

_And despite being the most well-adjusted generation yet, despite embracing the lives they led, it was they whose longing for the seas was the fiercest. It was they who were best attuned to the currents, it was they whose hearts beat in time with the waves._

_It was they whose love for the unattainable could not be matched by any who came before them._

* * *

Usopp was, in a word, confused. Yesterday, he'd been sure that the islanders would follow him and Sanji back and shiv the crew in their sleep, leaving the Sunny a bloody mess of corpses. Today, he was half certain they would build a shrine in the crew's honor and worship the ground they walked on. It was quite possibly the most extreme about-face he had ever seen.

It made no sense. At all.

“Talk about an attitude change,” he said to Franky. Maybe the islanders had realized who they had been so rude to, and now sought the forgiveness of the Great Captain Usopp? Yes, that had to be it! Of course, they were groveling for his mercy, as they should! Why, once he had beat up an entire army when they had-

“What do you mean, bro?” Usopp stopped his internal narrative for a moment.

“What do you mean, what do I mean? They hated us yesterday!”

Now it was Franky's turn to look confused. “I really don't think so, bro. They're acting exactly the same if you ask me.”

“Wha-... Are you sure? Because they totally wanted us dead when I was shopping with Sanji!”

“Positive. Maybe you just misunderstood them?”

As it turned out, the more they compared the day before, the more obvious it became that they had had two completely different experiences.

“Aren't you exaggerating? I mean, maybe they were a little rude, but was it really _that_ bad?”

“No, I'm not! I swear they were-”

“Excuse me?” Usopp and Franky halted their debate when the new voice joined in. It took Usopp a moment to recognize the man, but when he did his eyes widened in surprise.

“You! You're one of the shopkeepers from yesterday!” He glanced at Franky quickly, then back to the man. Now the shipwright could see for himself...

“Yes. Uh... I suppose I should start with this...,” the vendor said, partially to himself, “I would like to apologize for yesterday. Truly, I did not wish to offend you.” Usopp blinked.

“Huh?” So they really _had_ realized that they had been speaking to the Great Captain Usopp! Well, since he was apologizing so openly-

“It's just... Are you traveling with the blond one?”

The question caught him off-guard. “Well, yeah. He's our coo-”

“Get rid of it.” The vendor's tone was serious, and even a bit fearful. Usopp was at a loss for how to answer, but luckily Franky filled in for him.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean, 'get rid of it'? Get rid of what?”

“To sail with such an ill omen will only bring down tragedy on yourselves. I beg of you, for your own sakes, abandon it. You'll find plenty of people on the island to replace it on your crew, I'm sure. A cook, wasn't it? I can show you to the taverns, there's always someone there...”

Usopp was finally starting to catch up. “Hold on, you mean _Sanji_? Why on earth would we get rid of him?” The vendor actually flinched.

“I wouldn't advise calling these things by name. You're only inviting further misfortune.”

“Careful there, that's our nakama you're talking about,” Franky growled. Nobody talked shit about his crew while he was around. Beside him, Usopp nearly cheered in agreement. The vendor looked distinctly uncomfortable, and after a few awkward moments he sighed.

“I cannot force you to do anything, but please take my words to heart.” He turned away from them, about to leave. “At least I warned you.” With that, he walked off into the crowd.

For several moments, Usopp and Franky just stared after him, trying to put together what had just happened.

“...What do you think that was all about?” Franky asked eventually. Usopp shook his head slowly.

“I... I have no idea.”

They finished what little shopping still needed to be done in an apprehensive silence, and headed back to the Sunny with a sense of growing unease within them.

 


	5. Chapter 5

“...Do you think we should tell him?” Usopp asked and glanced up the gangplank, half expecting the subject of the conversation to appear.

“We probably should, it has everything to do with him,” Franky replied, but he didn't look too sure of himself. The two of them hadn't boarded the Sunny yet, trying to decide what to do with what had happened at the market. “He'd be SUPER mad if we didn't.”

“I'm pretty sure he'll be mad even if we do!”

“...Yeah, he will, but it's not like it's our fault.”

“How about _you_ tell him that while I stay nice and safe out of kicking range?”

“And why might you be getting brutally kicked into oblivion?” Usopp yelped at the voice that came from directly behind him, nearly jumping off the pier in his panic.

“R-Robin! Jeez, don't _do_ that!” he exclaimed, clutching at his chest where his heart was doing its very best to pound its way out of his ribcage. Robin smiled. Usopp suspected she wasn't the least bit sorry.

“So what is it that you think will upset Cook-san so much?”

“Who said anything about Sanji?” Usopp grumbled, not feeling particularly generous at that moment, but a look from Franky had him setting aside his feelings. This could be a problem, after all.

“Some guy came up to us and said some weird things about Swirly-bro, and we don't know if it's worth telling him or not,” Franky explained in a heavily summarized version of events. Robin tilted her head slightly, quickly putting the pieces together.

“Would I be correct in assuming it had to do with the islanders' poor treatment of Cook-san yesterday?”

“How did you- you know what, never mind,” Usopp stopped himself halfway through his own question, realizing it was best to just accept that somehow Robin always knew everything. Trying to figure it out was simply asking for a headache. The archaeologist merely smiled in her usual mysterious fashion and began making her way up the gangplank. Usopp and Franky followed, filling her in on the details.

 

The trio wound up in the library, where Robin carefully put away the books she had bought.

“That sounds unusually harsh,” she commented after Franky had relayed the conversation with the vendor near verbatim.

“Tell me about it, normally people don't hate us that much unless we've actually done something or they just don't like pirates in general,” Usopp said, having also given his account of the day before.

“Everything about this seems highly specific, which means there is something about Cook-san which sets him apart in the eyes of the locals. Moreover, this vendor called him an 'ill omen', which would indicate the matter has to do with beliefs, rather than any action on Cook-san's part.” In all likelihood, the superstitions the bookstore owner had mentioned to Robin were the issue, but that did not narrow it down enough for her liking.

Franky spoke up again, frowning. “So, what, he's somehow against their religion?”

“I suppose you could put it like that, although it may not be exactly correct.”

“Well whatever it is, should we tell him?”

“I think it would be for the best. Cook-san will probably take this better coming from us than some stranger on the street.”

Usopp wasn't convinced. Robin would be spared the temper tantrum, without a doubt, but he and Franky would not. Then again, it had to be done, and as Sanji's (wiser and far more experienced) friend, it was his duty! And he would see it through!

And if he happened to be within arm's reach of the door and at a respectable distance from the cook himself, well, that would be purely coincidence and no-one had any right to complain about it.

* * *

_The siblings pulled away slowly from the trinket, watching the shadows quietly fade until they were almost entirely invisible again. That gentle, familiar warmth remained for a little longer, and for those moments the siblings allowed it to envelope them. Memories surfaced unbidden but this time they did not threaten to drown out all but grief. Now the good, the bad and the bittersweet played out in their heads as another life they had once lived._

_For that little while, their family was whole again._

* * *

Sanji moved gracefully around the kitchen, stirring the sauce here, adjusting the heat there, all as easily as breathing. This part of the process required little thought on his part, and he allowed his spare focus to be directed at the Fish. There were a few of them around, as there always were, and none of them seemed to be in any kind of hurry to get anywhere. They gave the galley a serene atmosphere, a wonderful break from the chaos that was always present with the rest of the crew around.

He'd started paying more attention to them than before he'd stopped being able to see them, having realized he couldn't take them for granted and now that they would occasionally act so differently from what he was used to. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with an explanation for any of it, so he hoped that he could figure something out through observation. So far, he hadn't had any luck with that, either.

The Fish by the door suddenly picked up speed and veered away, slowing back down when they reached the table. Not two seconds later, Sanji heard footsteps outside the galley, and the door was thrown open by Franky. Sanji frowned in the table's direction. Had the Fish...? His thoughts were derailed, however, when he realized the cyborg was accompanied by Robin. Usopp was there too, but the archaeologist took precedence over everyone else.

“Ah, Robin-chwan, my lovely flower! Welcome back!” he sang. “...And hi to you two as well, I guess,” he tacked on as an afterthought.

“Gee, thanks,” grumbled Usopp, who looked rather nervous. Sanji narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Is something wrong?” The sniper went a shade paler, reaffirming Sanji's thoughts.

“N-no! Or, well, yes. No. M-maybe?”

“I believe Longnose-kun is trying to say that we would like to talk to you about something,” Robin cut in, and beside her Usopp sighed in relief. Sanji's heart soared at the words. Robin wanted to talk to him! Perhaps all his flirting had finally... no. No, if that was the case, Franky and Usopp wouldn't be there, all stern and fearful respectively. Something really was wrong.

He gestured for them to sit down at the counters and quickly stirred one of the pots, and moved what was done off the heat. He'd listen to what they had to say, but he still had a job to do.

“So, what's going on?” he asked when none of them took the initiative. Franky and Usopp glanced at each other, while Robin appeared thoughtful.

“I visited the bookshop you recommended, Cook-san. It was exactly as you described, and I was able to find many interesting things.” Sanji almost raised an eyebrow at the non sequitur, but reminded himself that he was talking to a lady, and thus owed it to her to value her every word. Moreover, this was _Robin_ , who never said anything unnecessary or irrelevant. Still, he had no idea where this was going.

“I'm thrilled to have been of service to you, my dear, but I'm afraid I don't quite follow.”

“One such interesting thing,” Robin continued, as if Sanji hadn't interrupted, “was a conversation I had with the owner. He mentioned that you hadn't had the most positive experience with the locals.”

That was putting it kind of mildly.

“That's... well, it's true. But I suppose that means it didn't happen to you?” He knew he was deflecting the question a little bit, but this was far more important. If Robin had been mistreated, he would kick this entire island's ass, Marines be damned.

“As far as I've witnessed, the locals are the epitome of friendliness. Of course, we have proof to the contrary in your case.”

“So it really is just me and Usopp? Because I already talked to Chopper and the shitty swordsman, neither of them had any problems either.” He hadn't spoken with Nami, Luffy or Brook, but he was starting to suspect they'd been fine, too. Franky hadn't said anything, but he would have by now if he'd had any issues.

“Um, actually...,” Usopp said weakly. Sanji raised an eyebrow in question. “Today, er, today they didn't give me any trouble either.”

“What? So they got over whatever the hell was bothering them?”

“No,” said Franky, finally joining the conversation.

“No?”

“One of the shopkeepers, well he...,” Usopp swallowed as he searched for words, “he came up to us and apologized to me about yesterday. Said he hadn't intended to offend me. But then he... um...”

“Basically, bro, _you're_ what's bothering the islanders,” Franky cut in bluntly.

A beat.

“The hell is _that_ supposed to mean?” Usopp winced as Sanji raised his voice, but at the moment he was too pissed off to care. His already poor opinion of Merchant Island was falling rapidly.

“It means he went so far as to tell us to get rid of you.” Sanji stared incredulously for a few seconds, replaying Franky's words to make sure he'd understood correctly. If his opinion had been low before, it was now drilling through the earth.

“What?” he hissed, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Usopp slowly shifting towards the door as inconspicuously as he could. All things considered, it was probably the wisest thing the sniper could do, but Sanji wasn't up for considering much more than how he would beat some manners into the shopkeeper, and he needed Usopp if he wanted to figure out which one it was.

“And where do you think you're going?” The sniper yelped and jumped away from the door as if burned. Before Sanji could make his demands, Franky stepped in, arms lifted in a placating gesture.

“Calm down bro, it's not like we're gonna listen to the guy. No need to scare Usopp.”

“Indeed. Perhaps we should focus on bettering our understanding of the situation, Cook-san.” Sanji wanted to protest, but Robin was right. Not that she was ever wrong, of course.

It didn't mean he wouldn't kick that vendor's ass if their paths ever happened to cross again.

Pushing his frustration aside, he let the others explain in detail everything they had found out and the conclusions they had drawn. It didn't amount to much more than what the bookshop owner had told Sanji the day before, if a bit more severe than he had thought. He hadn't expected the islander's hatred to run quite this deep. In the end, they couldn't do anything more than agree that Sanji should tread carefully, and any time he needed to spend on the island should be in the section of the market run by foreign merchants or just avoiding the locals as best he could. It was annoying, and he doubted there was anyone around who actually would (or at least, could) do him any real harm. He'd do it anyway, if only to prevent anyone lashing out misguidedly at the rest of the crew. He was still pretty pissed off about it though, but Robin promising to look into the problem some more made him feel a bit better. She'd do such a thing for him! Oh, what a kind and generous soul she was! He had to make her something special in return.

With the discussion over, Sanji returned to his cooking and daydreaming about what snacks he could make for Robin, but all the while everything he had learned nestled uncomfortably in the corners of his mind. The sooner they got off this island, the better.

* * *

_One by one and piece by piece, the siblings returned to the present time, each clutching their memories close to their hearts. Silently, they promised to hold on to them forever, and to cherish the feeling of their family being complete, even if it never truly would be again._

_With growing determination to set things right, they brought the gifts together. It was time to fulfill their duty to their sister and her people._

* * *

Sanji really, really hadn't wanted to share his strange situation with the rest of the crew, but Robin, ever the voice of wisdom and reason, had calmly remarked that it was for the best that they were told; if things suddenly took a turn for the worse, everyone should be prepared. There was no fault in her logic, so there was nothing Sanji could do about it. He did make a point of being by the stove rather than the table when Robin brought it up at dinner, however.

The initial reactions were pretty much in line with what he had expected: mostly loud and ultimately not very helpful. Poor Chopper looked close to tears, leaving Sanji guilty and a little touched, but all his goodwill was overwritten by the Marimo's irritating smugness. He found it funny, the bastard. And then the man went and opened his mouth.

“I dunno, I feel like they've got the right idea. Curlicue's face is pretty offensive.”

“Why you-! Like _you're_ one to talk, mosshead! Have you seen yourself? It's nothing short of a miracle you haven't driven everyone away with your ugly mug!”

“And yet you're the one they don't like, shit cook!”

“Why I oughta-!” Sanji tried to take a step forward, but found both he and the moron had been rooted to their spots by several disembodied hands, preventing their verbal battle from escalating into a physical one. Robin held them in place for a little longer, only letting her extra limbs dissipate in a flurry of petals once she was sure they wouldn't try to fight again.

“I believe you haven't quite understood, Swordsman-san. What the islanders hold for Cook-san seems to go a fair bit further than mere dislike.” Oh, what an angel Robin was! That was twice now that he owed her, and he intended to put everything he had into repaying her.

Also, Zoro's confused expression made everything worth it. Sanji didn't stick his tongue out at the swordsman because he was a mature adult like that, but he was sorely tempted.

As Franky started another retelling of what had happened with him and Usopp, Sanji tuned them out in favor of getting a head start on the dishes. He'd answer any questions anyone had, but he didn't have anything to add to the story.

The sudden silence drew his attention away from his task and back to the table, where he was met with serious expressions and varying degrees of concern. This was exactly what he'd hoped to avoid. Yeah, the situation was off-putting, but there were several people in the room who had a habit of blowing things out of proportion. In a probably useless effort to mitigate what he was sure would come, Sanji made a point of drying the glass in his hand in the most calm and casual manner he possibly could.

“Yes?” he asked, hoping they'd taken the hint. Alas, hint-taking was not one of the Straw Hats' strong suits.

“Sanjiiiiiii!” Chopper was up from his seat and wrapped around Sanji's legs with frankly impressive speed, crying garbled assurances that they'd _never_ get rid of him, how could anyone say that, and other things to that effect. It made Sanji feel all the guiltier; he hated making the others worry, especially over something that could easily amount to nothing. They would be leaving in a little less than two days, and after that they'd never have to deal with this island again. It was that simple, and he said as much.

Most of the crew evidently didn't agree, suddenly clamoring to ask him questions and to make their own thoughts heard. Sanji couldn't keep up with the noise, so he bought some time by lighting his cigarette and picked up Chopper in hopes of calming at least some of the chaos. It didn't help a lot.

“Sanji.” And then just like that, silence fell again with all eyes turned towards Luffy. Sanji straightened a little bit, recognizing the tone. It wasn't Luffy's most serious voice, the one that promised hell to all who got in his way, but it was getting there.

“Yes, Captain?”

“What do you think?” Luffy was looking him dead in the eye, and as much as Sanji wanted to insist that there probably wasn't much of a problem at all, he doubted he'd be allowed to dismiss the question like that.

“I think the locals are rude as shit, and might do... something if provoked enough, but no-one I've seen so far looked like an actual threat. Heck, Franky and Usopp heard the worst of it, not me. I can deal with it, even though the whole thing is pretty weird.” Luffy tilted his head a little, considering Sanji's words, then nodded.

“You have my permission to beat them up.” The corners of Sanji's mouth twitched upward. He was worried for a second there, but Luffy was letting him handle it however he wanted.

“Hold up, no he doesn't!” Nami exclaimed, garnering more than a few looks of confusion.

“Nami, how could you say that? You _want_ to just let them treat Sanji like dirt?” Usopp protested.

“Don't you _dare_ think I'm any happier than you are about any of this, but getting violent is a surefire way to bring the Marines down on our heads and we can't afford that right now!”

“But-!”

“I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is! I'm not saying Sanji-kun shouldn't defend himself, but we simply can't start any trouble with the locals, no matter how tempting it may be.”

She was right, of course, not that an angel like her would ever be wrong, but part of Sanji very much wished he could take out his anger on those who caused it. However, putting the crew in danger was not worth the temporary satisfaction. It was pretty much the exact same conclusion he had come to with Robin, Franky and Usopp earlier, if even a little more cautious, and as much as he'd rather not, he would stick to this plan. They were leaving in a little less than two days. He could do it.

Conversation had picked up around him as he thought, mostly the more level-headed crew members agreeing with Nami, but it was all halted again by Luffy.

“I've figured out what's going on,” the captain said seriously, drawing every bit of attention in the room and effectively pulling Sanji back to the present. The crew sat and stared dumbfounded, and more than a little curious. Luffy was never the greatest at putting pieces together, but he had his rare moments of insight. Perhaps now was one of those once-in-a-blue-moon moments, when Luffy caught on to what everyone else had missed...?

“They want to take Sanji away from us so he'll cook all the meat for them instead!”

In retrospect, Sanji thought, they really should have seen that coming.

Yet somehow the captain's words had nearly completely erased the tension in the room, in the way only Luffy could. The crew groaned and laughed at the ridiculous suggestion, some berating themselves for having expected anything different. The problem remained, but suddenly it seemed trivial.

With the chaos settled, Sanji put Chopper back down with a pat on the head and got back to the dishes. This time he paid attention to what was going on at the table, ready to participate if called upon.

“If I may bring up another topic, I also learned something else intriguing,” Robin said as calm as ever. Sanji paused in scrubbing a pot clean, his curiosity piqued. She hadn't mentioned anything earlier.

“The bookstore owner I spoke with told me that he believes there may be something of interest on the northern side of the island and, for whatever reason, the islanders consider going there taboo.”

Nami raised an eyebrow. “Did he elaborate on what that 'something' might be?”

“No. It seems he was uncertain if there is anything there to begin with.”

“Then doesn't it come off as a little far-fetched?”

“Perhaps, and there is certainly a chance that the reasons for it to be taboo to go to the northern side are entirely unrelated to anything that actually _is_ there. On the other hand, there could very well be something to find. I would like to look into it.”

“It's a pretty big area to cover on your own, isn't it?”

“I have my ways, but help wouldn't be unappreciated.”

“I'll go with you, then.”

“Thank you. Would anyone else like to join? Cook-san, perhaps?” Over at the sink, Sanji immediately dropped everything and happily danced his way to the table.

“Of course! Anything for you, Robin-chwan! It would be my pleasure to accompany you lovely ladies even to the ends of the earth!” His heart would burst if it beat any harder, to think that Robin would ask him to come with her and Nami! Oh, what a wonderful time it would be! How romantic-!

“Pardon me, but wouldn't taking Sanji-san along fall under the category of 'provoking the locals'? Since they already... disagree with his presence, wouldn't doing something like this make it exponentially worse?” Brook asked, and Sanji wanted nothing more than to kick the skeleton for ruining his fantasies. Unfortunately, the musician had a point, and it was the only thing preventing Sanji from acting on his desires.

Robin merely smiled. “Only if they find out. I feel that there is a chance, however slim, that this relates to Cook-san's situation somehow. If that ends up being true, then it is probably worth the risk.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, I hope you don't mind if I tag along as well?”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you! Oh, and before I forget, may I see your- ouch!” This time, Sanji really did kick him.

“Oooh, I wanna go too! It'll be an adventure to find the mystery thing!” Luffy exclaimed, fists up in the air and eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Can I come too?” asked Chopper, equally enthusiastic.

“Of course. However,” Robin cast her eyes to Luffy, “I would like to remind you that this particular adventure calls for some... discretion.”

Luffy considered this. “Dis-what?”

“She means we don't want everyone and their grandmother to know what we're doing, so you're gonna have to be _quiet_ ,” Sanji explained with all the patience he could muster. It wasn't much.

“Well that's boring!”

“No-one's forcing you to come.”

“But I wanna find the mystery thing!”

“Then stop whining and deal with it!”

“You're no fun, Sanji.”

“Too fucking bad.”

* * *

_The siblings reached the second's lands and sent for the leaders of their sister's people to present them with their inheritance; a gesture the siblings hoped would heal the rift they had been unable to prevent. They could not in good conscience ask to be forgiven for their failures, and so they would leave the decision in the hands of those who had suffered most._

_Upon their arrival, the siblings bequeathed to the leaders the youngest sibling's belongings. The stories bound with loving care, the gifts she had once received herself, they were all given and taken with grace._

_And so came the time for the siblings to add their own contributions._

_The first presented the leaders with the ship, its sails pulled up but ready to swell with the wind if given the chance. He taught them each how to build their own, how to handle them, how to care for them._

_The second told the leaders of his sister's home, of where to find it, how to get to this safe haven he had built far from harm._

_The third informed them of the currents that protected her sister's home, how they had kept out all unwanted visitors. She promised now that these currents would never deny the fifth's people, would always lead them to this sanctuary. In this, the ocean would always be on their side._

_The fourth offered another blessing of the seas: in the waters, the fifth's people could find healing, for the ocean would share its life with them. The fourth also gave them a warning, reminding them that the seas could never be owned or controlled, would never be tamed. The ocean had no master, but those who respected its strength could live prosperously alongside it._

_The fifth's people listened, committing every word to memory and heart, accepting what they were being given._

_Deep down, the feeling they had known all their lives of being out of place began to seep away._

* * *

“Would you like some help, Sanji-san?” Sanji looked over his shoulder at Brook, who held up a dry dishtowel. He smiled politely.

“I certainly wouldn't complain.” The rest of the crew had left the galley, leaving a blissful silence which contrasted starkly with the noise from earlier. If he listened, Sanji could still hear everyone out on deck, but the wooden walls of the Sunny left it all muffled and distant. Sanji had a feeling that Brook appreciated the quiet just as much as he did, despite often being, ironically enough, one of the livelier members of the crew.

For a while, they both simply allowed the silence to continue, with only the sounds of Sanji washing up and Brook's fingers clicking against porcelain to disturb it. Sanji took the time to ponder about the newest member of the Straw Hat crew. Ever since joining, and honestly some time before that, the skeleton fit in seamlessly; even though Sanji actually hadn't had much time to get to know him, he felt completely comfortable being around the musician. Despite having only been part of the crew for a short while, it felt like Brook had always been there.

“If you don't mind me asking, Sanji-san... How do you feel about all of this?” It took Sanji a second to realize that Brook was talking about the earlier discussion with the crew.

“Didn't you hear what I told Luffy?”

“What I heard was a threat assessment. Forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I'd like to know how this is affecting you.” Brook paused for a moment. “I also think we ended up making your plans for you, without asking if you agreed at all. I'd like to apologize for that.”

Sanji was a little surprised, but quickly shook his head. “No need for that. I'd already spoken to Robin-chan before dinner, and arrived at the same conclusion. I might not be terribly happy about it, but it really is the most logical one.”

Brook nodded. “And your thoughts on the situation itself?”

Sanji hesitated as he weighed his words carefully, settling on an honest answer. “It's strange and more than a little annoying, but it's far from the worst we've faced.”

The silence that fell after that was a little heavier, both of them remembering just how recently the worst had been. Unlike before, Sanji felt the need to say something to fill the air, to chase out unwanted thoughts.

“Why so curious all of a sudden?” Brook seemed to look him over for a moment, and by god was it a weird feeling since the skeleton didn't actually have any eyes.

“Nakama look out for each other, do they not?”

A slow smile stole over Sanji's face at the unanticipated yet completely obvious answer.

“Yeah, yeah they do.” He handed Brook the last plate to dry and drained the sink. “I think I'll have some tea, would you like some?”

“Yes, please!”

Sanji selected some Earl Gray from the cupboard and set the kettle to boil. “So, how's the island been for you so far?” he asked casually.

“About as good as can be expected, I suppose.” Sanji froze, realizing his misstep. If the islanders treated _him_ like shit, how would they react to a walking, talking skeleton?

“Shit, sorry! I completely forgot!” As he said it, he realized just how stupid it sounded. How could he possibly forget that Brook was dead? All it took was a glance, and hell, Brook himself kept making jokes about it! And yet... he really _had_ forgotten. Brook had become a normal part of everyday life.

Brook laughed, but it lacked some of its usual cheer. “No need for that,” he said, echoing Sanji's words from before, “I anticipated a fearful reaction. Maybe some of it is due to the beliefs held on this island, but I think it is the inevitable response no matter where we go.”

“But still...” It must be terrible, being trapped and alone for _fifty goddamn years_ , only to be shunned upon finally escaping.

“No. If anything, the fact that you _can_ forget means more to me than you can ever imagine. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I...”

“You know, Sanji-san, when you all showed up at Thriller Bark I wondered if I was dreaming. This crew is more than I dared to hope for, and being part of it now makes me feel more alive than I have in a long time- even though I'm dead! Yohohoho, skull joke!” The corners of Sanji's mouth twitched upward involuntarily. Brook's humor had quickly become familiar, but his laughter was infectious.

“Of course, sometimes it's even a little overwhelming, and I don't quite know what to do with myself. Perhaps it'll take some more settling in on my part.” For the first time, it occurred to Sanji that Brook might not seek out silence because he enjoyed it, but because it was what he was used to.

“If you ask me, I'd say you're already right at home with our merry little band of lunatics,” Sanji told him, responding to the musician's unexpectedly candid confession with equal sincerity.

“I'm glad to hear that.” Brook chuckled, and Sanji tilted his head a bit in question. “Tell me, Sanji-san, how is it we ended up talking about me when I asked about you?”

Sanji grinned. “Nakama look out for each other, don't they?”

Brook paused for what may have been a blink if he had any eyelids, then threw back his head and laughed. “That they do!”

* * *

_As the siblings spoke, the fifth's people remained silent. They listened when the guardians of the realms described the end of the fifth's life, described her grave. But when they were about to disclose its location, the fifth's people finally made themselves heard._

“ _Please, do not tell us. You have given us the blessings of the ocean, the means to explore it all. For such a sacred place as holds the beauty of all we have ever wished to see... please, allow us to seek it out for ourselves.”_

_The siblings were stunned by the plea, but they all realized its wisdom. For those who thrived in the arms of the ocean, what greater gift was there than the thrill of discovery?_

“ _Very well.”_

* * *

Sanji got up a good two hours earlier than usual. The crew had decided to set off before dawn, before the majority of the islanders woke up. They would have gone out to explore the northern forests during the night, but Robin (wisely) pointed out that it would be near impossible to find anything in the dark, especially since they didn't even know what they were looking for in the first place.

He made a simple breakfast, then turned his attention to the task of kicking Luffy awake. In the end, he had to threaten to give all the meat on the ship to Usopp before Luffy got his ass out of bed, but after that everything was much easier. Brook had woken up when Sanji returned to the men's quarters, while Chopper only needed a slight nudge. The ladies, ever wonderful and capable, were already waiting in the galley.

The harbor was quiet, with only a few early-risers around. The sun wouldn't be up for at least another hour, and the Straw Hats had every intention of capitalizing on this chance. They quickly made their way from the markets and past the residential areas. Sanji kept his head down as best he could, drawing as little attention to himself as possible. He couldn't stop himself glancing over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure no-one was following them, and the rest of his time was devoted to watching Luffy and making sure he didn't do anything colossally stupid.

Despite his fears, however, they made it to the outskirts of town without incident. On the other hand, he now had something else to worry about.

To get to the forest, they'd have to cross through the cemetery.

It wasn't that he was scared of graveyards, not at all, but they had always made him uneasy. Thriller Bark most certainly hadn't helped on that count, but it hadn't been the start, not by a long shot. No, he'd never understood why anyone would want to be buried in a small, cramped coffin, stuck under the cold earth. That was probably why, when granny had told him she wished to be buried out at sea, the idea had made so much _sense_ to him. Who the hell would pick soil when they could have the boundless, colorful ocean?

He remembered granny's funeral. It had been quiet, and even though she had had no family, many people had shown up. She had been well-liked, and the villagers had all pitched in to give her a proper send-off.

And they'd done it all wrong.

Granny had told him about how she wanted to go, but apparently no-one else knew. No-one listened when he tried to tell them, either. He'd done his best to make them understand, but by the end he'd wondered if he was the odd one out. Nobody else had any problems with regular burials, so why did he? He knew that's what was supposed to happen once you died, and that was all there was to it.

And yet...

He'd returned to the grave a few days later when he was sure no one was there. He had knelt down on the freshly upturned soil, grabbed a handful, stuffed it in a pouch, and then headed for the shore. He had chosen an old cove which he had discovered some two years prior, one that nobody else seemed to even know about.

He'd emptied the pouch into his hand, and with a few whispered words of farewell in the old tongue, tossed the soil out onto the water. It still wasn't right, but it was at least a little better.

He never visited the grave again.

“Oi, Sanji! You coming or what?” Luffy shouted from up ahead, the idiot _._

“Yeah yeah, just be quiet!” He picked up his pace and followed his captain past the graves, the thin morning mist curling around his legs. Why did the place have to be so eerie, dammit?

He fell in step with Robin, who looked more amused than the situation called for (not that he had any right to judge a lady!). She made no comment on whatever it was she found so funny, for which Sanji found he was a little grateful. Robin's imagination was... vivid, in a morbid way.

He really didn't need any morbid right now.

For a minute, they traveled in silence (or the closest to silence Luffy could manage even under constant supervision), and when he wasn't shushing the captain, Sanji surveyed his surroundings. He ignored the shivers trying to work their way down his spine, and kept his observations analytical. One thing quickly stood out to him, and that was the fact that there didn't seem to be any barrier between the forest and the town, aside from the cemetery itself. If the islanders were so hell-bent on keeping people away from the northern side, why not build a wall or something?

“I see you've noticed it too, Cook-san,” Robin spoke up from his right. Sanji nodded.

“The graveyard's not even fenced off, there's nothing stopping people from walking right through...”

“The shape of it is strange as well,” said Nami, walking on Robin's other side. “I looked up any maps of the island I could find yesterday. The cemetery curves around the entire land-facing edge of the town.”

“That is rather peculiar.”

“Maybe they think the graveyard will keep people away?” Sanji ventured. Robin shook her head and gestured around her.

“The graves are in all good condition. Someone must come around regularly to take care of them.”

“And yet no-one tries to go further? Just how is this rule enforced for people to obey it so well that not one person would try to break it?” Nami frowned, and Sanji could take a guess at her thoughts. Cocoyashi village had lived under Arlong's absolute rule, with anyone who disobeyed facing the very real threat of death.

Robin answered, “Fear is a powerful motivator, and so is belief. If people have been taught their entire lives that there is something to be scared of... I don't think many would find it in themselves to challenge that.”

“Are we sure this has anything to do with fear, though?” Sanji asked.

“Perhaps not, but I find it most likely. Few things can overcome curiosity.”

Up ahead, Luffy, Brook and Chopper had reached the end of the graveyard and edge of the forest.

“Come on, hurry up! You guys are so sloooowww!” Luffy complained. Sanji decided that the next time they took him along on any trip that called for stealth, they'd gag him.

The forest was darker than he had expected it to be, and they all had to take a moment to let their eyes adjust. They had brought lanterns along, but wanted to avoid using them if at all possible as nothing would raise suspicion quicker than lights where there should be none. They moved slowly and quietly until Robin deemed them to be out of earshot of the cemetery, whereupon Luffy was free to make as much noise as he wanted, an opportunity he did not waste. He instantly took to the trees, swinging from branch to branch and laughing for all he was worth. Sanji suspected the 'Monkey' part of Luffy's name was meant to be taken literally.

“So, how are we going to do this?” Nami asked as they trekked on.

“It would be most efficient to split up, but the fact that we don't know what we're looking for poses a problem. Even if one of was to come across something, there's no guarantee they'd recognize it as anything noteworthy,” Robin pointed out.

Chopper tilted his head. “Wouldn't it be obvious?” The archaeologist shook her head.

“You'd be surprised. Time can hide everything astoundingly well, and what we're looking for may be something which to us would seem completely innocuous. We could stare it in the face and not notice.”

Sanji frowned. Things would be a hell of a lot easier if they had even the slightest clue about this 'mystery thing', as Luffy so eloquently put it, or some starting point to work with. Anything.

He started in surprise as some Fish swam past him, less than an arm's reach from his face. He turned his head to follow their path, eyes narrowing at the strange behavior. It was like they'd deliberately caught his attention.

“Sanji-san?”

The Fish... they'd shown him the way to Chopper during the storm, hadn't they?

“Sanji-san, do you see something?”

The Fish slowed down to a stop, hovering some five meters away. The weight of attention settled on him like it had a few days ago. They were waiting.

“Sanji, are you okay?”

He took a tentative step forward, then another, without taking his eyes off the Fish. They let him get within a couple meter's radius, then suddenly took off again. Five meters further, they slowed and stopped.

“Sanji-kun, answer us!”

He followed more confidently, and the Fish matched his pace. They were definitely leading him somewhere.

“Oi, wait up!”

He wove his way between the trees and deftly stepped over roots, never losing sight of the Fish. He was vaguely aware of the others not far behind, but for now he ignored them. Just where the hell were the Fish taking him?

The trees finally made way for a sheer cliff-face, with the Fish swimming around at its base. Sanji slowed down as he approached them, waiting to see if they'd move off again. They didn't. Did that mean that this was this it?

A part of the cliff had collapsed, leaving a landslide of rock. It must have happened ages ago, since the rocks were all covered in moss. Hell, there was even a tree growing on them, towards the top of the pile. Beyond that, there was nothing special to be seen.

“Is this...,” he stopped halfway through his question, and on a hunch switched languages. “ _Is this what you wanted to show me?_ ” The Fish didn't react, and he felt stupid for having expected anything. How the hell were they supposed to answer? Why the hell did he think they would? He'd talked to them plenty as a kid, but they'd never-

The Fish picked up speed faster than he could track, suddenly swirling about in what he would almost describe as excitement. He froze as they closed in, moving in fast-paced circles around him. They weren't threatening, but he had no idea what to do.

“Sanji! There you are!” His concentration snapped as Chopper barreled into him. The Fish took off, back to their regular, leisurely movements, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“Hey, get off!” He tried to dislodge the small reindeer, but failed miserably.

“Why'd you run? Why didn't you answer us when we called for you? Is something wrong? Are you hurt? Couldn't you hear us? Oh my god, have you gone deaf?”

“What? No!” Sanji wanted to growl his frustration at losing... whatever it was that had just happened, but realized it would do him no good. Poor Chopper was going to start hyperventilating at this rate. “Nothing is wrong, I just thought I saw something. Sorry I ignored you. Now, breathe!”

The others caught up to them, looking around at their new surroundings with interest, but before they could ask anything, Sanji asked a question of his own.

“Where's Luffy?” The captain wasn't among them. Had he disappeared somewhere?

“Wohoooo!” Ah. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Luffy was back to jumping through the trees. “Oh hey Sanji!” he greeted as he swung past, not watching where he was heading. Where he was heading, as it turned out, was straight for the pile of rock at the base of the cliff. Sanji and the others all winced as Luffy slammed into it face first, recreating the landslide that had made it in the first place.

“Goddammit, Luffy!”

As the dust cleared, they all approached to make sure the idiot hadn't hurt himself too bad, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“What...?”

“Hey guys! Come check this out!” Luffy's voice echoed from... somewhere. They had to push aside the rubble before they could tell where their captain had ended up.

“Oh my,” Robin said, her usual calm tinged with surprise.

“Sanji-kun... did you know this was here?”

“No, no I didn't...”

Hidden behind the rocks was a cave entrance.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Sanji clicked his lighter open and ignited a flame. The meager light it provided didn't do much to improve their sight, as the cave extended too far in front of them.

“How far do you think it goes?” asked Chopper by his side. Sanji handed him the lighter as he got out his lantern.

“No idea.” He took the lighter back, lit his lantern, and then went to do the same for Robin and Brook. The three lanterns fared a bit better, but even so it was too dark to see the far wall.

“Shall we?” Robin took the lead, followed closely by Luffy.

“Let's go! I still wanna find the mystery thing!”

The ground sloped downward, gently at first but slowly getting steeper. They tread carefully, and, for all of two and a half minutes, silently.

“This is boring.” Sanji rolled his eyes, and Nami smacked their attention span-deficient captain in the back of the head. Up ahead of them, Robin chuckled without looking back.

“You may have some entertainment soon enough. The tunnel is getting wider, so there may be some kind of chamber up ahead.” Sure enough, the tunnel soon widened to the point where they could all walk side by side, but it took another five minutes of walking before it fully opened up. There was indeed a chamber, a few times the size of the Sunny's galley, with a high ceiling. Lifting their lanterns, they could just about make out the whole thing.

“It's... completely empty,” Chopper said slowly, looking around.

“Aw, what? What about the mystery thing?” Luffy cried, his voice bouncing back in a disappointed echo.

“There was never any guarantee there would be anything in here at all... although it is rather peculiar.”

“Maybe someone's already been here and taken everything?” Brook ventured.

“Perhaps, but that isn't what I meant. Do you notice something about this cave?”

“Apart from it being empty?” Nami asked, unsure of what Robin was getting at. Sanji, for his part, looked around, trying to see whatever it was that had caught Robin's attention. However, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see anything. Robin gestured around her.

“Caves like this are usually formed over thousands of years, specifically through erosion by water. The walls in here are certainly smooth enough... but it's entirely too dry.”

“Surely the water could just be gone by now?”

“It could, however it would have left some evidence behind. But look around, it's completely empty; no stalagmites or stalactites, nothing. The ground is unusually even, too.”

“So... what does that mean?” Sanji asked, not sure what they were supposed to do with this information.

“It may be man-made, or it was originally eroded by water and then cleared out by someone. Either way, chances are this isn't entirely natural.”

“...Which would mean it was probably made _for_ something,” Brook added, catching on to Robin's train of thought.

“Exactly.”

“But what? There's nothing in here for it to be for!” Nami pointed out.

“That is the question, isn't it?” Robin lifted her lantern and moved further into the chamber. “Have a look around, see if you can find anything... abnormal.”

The group scattered, some more skeptical than others. Luffy bounded around the chamber a few times before declaring it boring, while everyone else put a bit more care into their inspection. Finding nothing the middle of the room, they each eventually ventured to the walls, which really were so smooth that they had to either be eroded by water or intentionally carved. Aside from that, however, there didn't seem to be anything of note. Sanji chewed on the end of an unlit cigarette in frustration; the Fish had led him here for a reason, surely. There had to be something down here, although he had no idea what it could be. But what can you hide in an empty room?

* * *

_At last, the siblings brought forth the charms they had created together, each taking their turn to offer one to the leaders._

_The first sibling stepped forward, presenting the unassuming trinket._

“ _You will travel far in a dangerous world, where the whims of the sky can be your end just as easily as they can be your savior. But now... May the winds be in your favor, and may they take you to where you need to be. This is the blessing of the heavens.”_

* * *

Robin moved carefully along the wall and took in every detail she could. Throughout history, people had been clever. If they really wanted to hide something, they could do it well. She suspected that may be the case here too, unless Brook was right about the chamber already being cleared out before they got there. If so, however, it must have happened long ago; the state of the rocks covering the entrance was a testament to that.

 A slight discoloration on the otherwise very uniform ground caught her eye a few paces up ahead. Knowing better than to overlook even the tiniest of peculiarities, she walked over and knelt to examine it closer. A smile tugged at her lips as she realized what she was looking at: it wasn't a discoloration at all, but rather some relatively deep scratches in the floor, as would be caused by pushing something very heavy. They extended a little more than a meter out from the wall, and ended exactly where the wall began. It was too close even for something which had been pushed right up against the wall, the scratches almost appeared to go... under.

Robin stood up and placed a hand on the wall. It was the same type of rock as everywhere else, and it didn't so much as budge when she gave it a push. She stepped a bit to the side, running her hand against the stone. There wasn't so much as a crack... Ah. Right there was something of a slightly different texture. She lifted her lantern higher and peered closer.

 

Clever indeed. You wouldn't spot it unless you knew to look for it.

 

She lifted her free hand to the wall again, running her fingers over what she had found. Then, ever so carefully, she scratched at it, and smiled when pieces began to fall off.

 It was plaster.

* * *

_The second sibling stepped forward, trinket in hand. Out of the remaining siblings, he was the one who felt most responsible for his sister's people, and it was he who presented his gift with the greatest of humility._

“ _You wish to travel the seas in bodies meant for solid ground. It will be hard on you, especially when you head far from land. You will forever be welcome wherever in my domain you set foot, whenever you must return from your journeys. However, out on the ocean, I cannot help you. The best I can do for you now is offer you this: a charm of good health, to keep at bay all but the worst of ailments. Illness was what forced my sister to give up on the very thing she wanted the most; may you never feel that burden. This is the blessing of the land.”_

* * *

Sanji debated the merits of simply kicking at the blank wall he was currently examining, but eventually decided against it. No need to bring the cave down around their ears, after all, no matter how tempting it would be to take out his frustrations. He was sure there had to be something, but with every passing moment his certainty wavered. Why had the Fish brought him here? For that matter, why had they done anything at all? He'd wished for a clue. Had they acted in response to that?

That time with Chopper in the storm, too. He'd wanted to be able to see anything that could lead him to their sinking doctor. Could the Fish really understand that? He hadn't actually thought about it at the time, there had been so many other things to focus on. But if they were responding to his wishes, could he get them to do it again? If he just wished for more help...

A quick glance around the chamber, however, told him it wouldn't work. There were no Fish around, which was odd. As far as he could remember, there had always been at least a couple of them no matter where he went. Or at least, he was pretty sure. In the privacy of his own head, he cursed himself for never paying more attention. The strange out-of-focus feeling he'd had after leaving Water 7 wasn't there either, so chances were that he hadn't relapsed into whatever had been wrong earlier. If he worked with the assumption that the absence of the Fish was abnormal and that it was not caused by him losing the ability to see them again, what did that tell him? The Fish wouldn't come down into the cave. Although perhaps _wouldn't_ wasn't the best word to use, it implied free will and he had no idea if the Fish had that. But regardless of whether it was a matter of choice or simply some weird physics that governed their movement, there were no Fish down in the cave with them. So what was keeping them out?

 

“I believe I've found something,” Robin called from the other side of the chamber, drawing everyone's attention to her and the hands she had bloomed on a section of wall. Luffy cheered and bounded over with renewed enthusiasm, with the others following at a more or less calmer pace. As they got closer, they were able to see part of what Robin had uncovered. There was a crack in the wall which formed an arch. It looked suspiciously like a doorway. Sanji, Brook and Chopper began to help chip away at the plaster, while Nami convinced Luffy that the task required a bit more finesse than simply punching through the rock, there could be something valuable to be found and he might wreck it, could he stop to think about these things for once, _thank you very much_.

“The crack was concealed with plaster, probably a mix of lime and gypsum. Unfortunately, it has been such a commonly used material for several millennia that it's nearly impossible to say just how old it is simply by looking. But regardless of when it happened, whoever was responsible for it did an excellent job. The plasterwork is nigh impossible to spot, it blends in perfectly with the stone,” Robin explained, keeping her eyes on what she was doing. “If I were to take a guess, I'd say behind this wall lies a secondary chamber or tunnel... What is interesting is the amount of effort that went into hiding it. Someone clearly didn't wish for it to be found.”

“Do you think it could be some kind of treasure?” Nami asked hopefully, despite realizing the odds were probably against her.

“I don't think so, unless it's cursed.”

“Cursed?” Brook asked, voice slightly higher pitched than normal. Robin nodded.

“If it really is fear keeping the islanders away, then that fear will have come from somewhere. And now, we've found something that was obviously never meant to be found. It would be foolish to ignore the possible connection. What we find could be terrible.”

“What if it's just some story someone came up with to protect their treasure, and people happened to believe it?”

“It's possible, but if that is the case then it must have been quite the story...”

 

As the discussion went on, Sanji managed to work away a bigger chunk of plaster. It fell to the floor and shattered, getting dust all over his shoes. However, he barely noticed as he was preoccupied by the sudden but weak stream of air that came through the hole he had created. He must have gotten all the way through. The air was warm, but it smelled stale. The was the scent of something else there too, but he couldn't place it.

By all accounts, it was completely harmless. The plaster must have formed an airtight seal, so of course the air quality would be different from that of the chamber they were in. Yet for some reason, his instincts kicked into high alert. His body tensed, anticipating some danger he couldn't see. But at the same time, he couldn't _sense_ any danger either. All he had was a small but persistent feeling of something not being right.

 

“I think I broke through!” Chopper exclaimed excitedly. “The air smells really old...”

“Finally! Can I punch through it _now_?”

“No!”

“The scratches on the floor lead away from the wall. I think we'll have to pull it out.”

Luffy immediately took hold of the large stone blocking their path, with Chopper following behind immediately after switching to Heavy Point. Sanji hesitated, still very much uneasy, and glanced at everyone else. Not one of them seemed bothered by anything, and most of them had keen instincts. Maybe he was just letting his imagination get the better of him?

He doubted it, but stuck with the idea anyway and joined Luffy and Chopper. The crack was just wide enough for him to get a comfortable grip on the edge of the rock.

 

“Ready? One, two, three, pull!” At first the stone didn't move at all, but bit by bit they were able to ease it away from the opening. Once they got it moving, it took significantly less effort to keep pulling. As soon as they'd managed to move the boulder far enough from the opening, everyone crowded around to get a look inside the new chamber. Sanji couldn't see anything from where he stood, still behind the boulder and now behind everyone else. He made to move forward, but froze when he heard Nami's horrified whisper.

 

“Oh my god...”

* * *

_The third sibling presented her gift._

“ _There may come a time when you have done all you can, yet you are powerless._ _In these moments, all you have is fortune; a school of fish when you've run out of food, a calm during the storm, unobstructed waters during the fog. May your fortunes be kind. This is the first blessing of the seas.”_

* * *

Sanji's unease rose up again, and for a moment he feared taking a look. At the same time, there was no way he could avoid doing so. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, peering cautiously around his crewmates.

Robin had been right. The sight that greeted them was terrible.

The chamber was narrower than the one they had first found, but it was also significantly longer. The lanterns could not cast enough light for them to see to the other end. Frankly, Sanji didn't want to. The walls were lined with desiccated corpses, positioned so that they sat leaning either against the stone or each other. A narrow path had been left clear down the center of the chamber, disappearing into the darkness at the edge of the lantern's range.

Bile rose in Sanji's throat. There were so many of the damned things! He estimated there to be a little less than one hundred in the area he could see alone, and there was no telling how many more there were further down.

 

“Is this... some kind of mass grave?” Nami spoke quietly, as if she didn't trust her own voice.

“I'd say a tomb,” Robin answered calmly, but with a small frown. She was an archaeologist, so she was accustomed to the dead, but Sanji couldn't help but wonder if this managed to disturb her too. If she was, she didn't let it get in her way; she was the first to step further inside while everyone else remained unmoving. She knelt down by the nearest corpse and began to systematically inspect it, taking in details the others wouldn't know to look for.

“Whoever these people were, they must have died long ago. They are not completely decayed, which would suggest a more recent death, but the air down here is dry enough for them to have been naturally mummified.” She carefully touched the dried flesh, searching for something which could help narrow down the time of death. Finding little, she turned her attention to the corpse's clothing. “Their style of dress is unique, I've never seen it before. It _does_ bear some passing resemblance to common clothing styles from about six, seven hundred years ago, but there is no guaranteeing the connection without further study.”

 

The others finally ventured inside, walking slowly to where Robin was. Chopper clutched Luffy's leg, and Luffy patted the doctor's head in uncharacteristic silence. Sanji doubted their captain was all that disturbed by the corpses themselves, but perhaps he'd finally registered the feeling of something being off. It was certainly screaming at the back of Sanji's own mind. He rubbed his eyes in frustration.

 

“This one died a violent death. There's a small hole piercing their head; it was probably an arrow. There's still some blood on the clothes, which means they weren't changed between the time of death and being brought down here.” Sanji shuddered, turning his eyes away from Robin but only seeing more of the corpses. They were all in similar states, he realized. Their clothes were stained black, stains which he could easily imagine having once been red... Some of them were missing limbs, now that he looked. That one there didn't have an arm, its clothing torn at the empty sleeve, that one's face was caved in, no longer recognizable as human, and over there... one was missing the entire lower half of its body. Slit throats, blotches of black he realized were proof of stab wounds, cuts too clean to have been caused by anything other than a bladed weapon, collapsed rib cages and skulls from blunt force trauma. Sanji hated how easily he could guess what fate had befallen each of them, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't drag his mind elsewhere. Robin's analysis offered no comfort, either.

 

“I doubt any of them died of natural causes. They were all killed. It happened elsewhere, and enough time passed for them to stop bleeding, since the ground is clean. Then they were brought here, and positioned as we see them now.”

“What could have caused all this...?” Brook wondered aloud, a clear note of nervousness in his voice.

“A war of some kind is the best guess I can currently make, although 'massacre' may be a better term. None of them are dressed like soldiers, and while I can see some have evidence of defensive wounds, it doesn't seem like they managed to put up much of a fight. Many have wounds on their backs, which means they were probably trying to run away.”

 

That was the only explanation that made any sense, but it didn't sit right with Sanji. A quick glance at Robin's expression told him she was thinking the same thing. They were missing something.

“...Who brought them here?” he asked, trying to place what exactly was bothering him. “There must have been a lot of people involved, this was no small job.” Not only would they have had to bring all of the bodies down into the cave, they would have had to position them all, carve the boulder to fit the entrance, and carefully plaster the crack to hide it. Hell, they may even had to clear out the cave of unwanted rock first. It was an awful lot of effort to do something which could have been achieved by digging a hole for a mass grave, or by burning the bodies. That had to mean something, didn't it?

“Perhaps there were survivors, but I can't imagine there having been many. Whoever killed all of these people, they were very efficient.” Slowly, they moved deeper into the cave, finding nothing but more of the same. At least two hundred of the dead by now, and they still hadn't reached the end. Robin continued, “There is a chance that the ones responsible for the deaths were also the ones to do this.”

“Why would they do that?” Nami asked the question Sanji had been about to ask himself. “Why expend all the time and resources for people they just murdered when there must have been easier ways to get rid of them? Burn them, bury them, dump them in the sea... And if it had to be here, why bother sitting them all up like this?”

 

The others walked further into the cave, but Sanji stood still. Nami's words echoed through his head, screaming some importance they held but could not convey.

 

_Dump them in the sea..._

* * *

_The fourth sibling stepped forward._

“ _The ocean is strong. To survive it, you must be strong as well, in body, mind and heart._ _You must draw it from within, from the people around you... and now, from the water itself. May your strength never falter, may it steady your hands in whatever you choose to do. This is the second blessing of the seas.”_

* * *

“Oi Sanji, you coming?” Luffy called, more relaxed than before. Nothing down here presented a threat to them, so he was letting down his guard down a bit. It was kinda like the zombies at Thriller Bark, only these dead guys moved less. It was honestly getting a little boring, but everyone else was being so serious. It was probably important, at least to Robin, even though she said they died ages ago. Why did it matter anymore? Besides, he wanted to find the mystery thing. Unless this was the mystery thing, in which case he was a bit disappointed.

Something was up with Sanji, though. He'd looked worried for a while now, but he hadn't said much. Still, Luffy trusted him. If there was anything dangerous, Sanji would speak up. In the meanwhile, Luffy busied himself with ideas on how to cheer their cook up. He liked cooking, obviously, and he was the best at it... so then he'd be happy if Luffy asked him to make something, wouldn't he? And if Luffy asked for meat, he'd get something out of it too! Brilliant!

“Sanji, I'm hungry!” As planned, that snapped the cook out of whatever trance he'd been in.

“Are you serious? ...You are. Fine, just eat the lunchbox I packed for you.” Ooooh, he'd forgotten about that! Well the plan hadn't gone perfectly, but Sanji wasn't staring into space with a weird expression anymore, and Luffy had food. All was right in the world.

“Are you really going to eat _here_?” Nami asked, a disgusted expression on her face. Luffy gave her a blank look.

“It's food, Nami. That's what it's for!” Honestly, for someone so smart, she could be pretty stupid sometimes.

 

Nami shook her head, gave up, and went back to speaking with Robin, only acknowledging the lightened mood in the privacy of her own mind. Luffy had a strange way of keeping them all calm. “What were you saying?”

“If it was whoever killed these people who buried them, they may have been acting according to their own customs. Burial rites play a strong role in several cultures, sometimes extending to their enemies or outsiders. Burying them all like this may have been a sign of respect for the dead.”

 

That wasn't it. Sanji couldn't say why, but he knew that wasn't right. Something was still nagging at the edge of his thoughts, but refused to take shape. Nothing was adding up! By all accounts, Robin's suggestion was reasonable, and she was the history expert. He shouldn't be doubting her without any proof. But still… wounds on their backs, the clearly one-sided outcome, not one dressed in any kind of armor. Civilians, in all likelihood. The corpses varied greatly in size, some of them must only have been children when they were killed. There was no respect in any part of what he was seeing, yet the effort had been made to bring the bodies down and sit them up. It would have taken a long time to do, even with a large group of people doing the work. There was a reason, then. No-one would do all that without a motive.

 

_Dump them in the sea._

 

His thoughts spun, attempting and failing to form a coherent picture of what they were dealing with. And to top it all off, the air was so dry that it was making his eyes water. He tried to rub away the irritating feeling, but managed only temporary relief. His unease was building again, whatever distraction Luffy had provided was long gone.

Goddammit, what was he not seeing?

 

“Are you alright, Sanji-san?” Sanji almost jumped, not having noticed Brook come up to him. He glanced around, but no-one else was paying them any attention.

“I'm fine, this place just gives me the creeps.” As soon as the words left his mouth, it occurred to him how tactless they could sound. Here he was talking to a skeleton about being set on edge by dead people. At least Brook didn't seem to take offense.

“You and me both. Someone did all of this… to what end?”

“Yeah. Why seal them all down here?”

“That too,” Brook said, casting his gaze around the chamber, “although I was wondering why they were all killed in the first place.”

“...Oh. Robin did say it could have been a war.”

“Indeed, _could_ have been. But what if it wasn't?” Sanji had no answer for that. Surely no-one would attack such a large group of people unprovoked. Maybe they'd wanted something, land, resources? Would that be enough motivation to go through with something like this? And that didn't account for the burial.

“The locals avoid this side of the island,” Sanji spoke slowly, constructing his thoughts as he went, “and all of this is probably why, even if they don't actually know about it.”

“Anymore,” Brook added. “That avoidance began somewhere. Whoever was alive at the time… they must have been the ones who started it, knowing what was here.”

“Hang on, would that make the current islanders descendants of the survivors?”

“Or descendants of the ones who committed the deed. We passed the cemetery on the way here, these people do not fear their dead. Regular graves marked with regular tombstones, all clean and cared for.”

“So if they were descended from the survivors, there wouldn't be a reason to not come here,” Sanji continued, seeing Brook's point.

“Exactly. Of course, this is all mere conjecture...”

“Conjecture is all we can work with right now, unless Robin's found something new.”

 

They both caught up to the rest of the group, but Robin had no new information to give them. Luffy was entertaining himself by bugging Chopper, who in turn was ultimately grateful for the distraction. They kept going further in slowly, as Robin stopped every now and then to examine another body. Everything she found pointed to the same thing as all the others: a violent death. Sanji listened to every analysis she gave, trying to piece things together himself but getting nowhere. The dry air was really getting to him too; his eyes were starting to sting.

 

“Hey, look over there,” Nami said, pointing at a spot a bit further ahead. Robin lifted her lantern a little higher, illuminating an area where several corpses had fallen over. At the same time, Luffy made a particularly animated gesture as he chatted away with Chopper, and lost his grip on his now empty lunchbox. It went flying off to the side, and fell somewhere among the bodies.

“Oops! Sorry, Sanji!”

“Are you kidding me?” He liked that set, dammit. He rolled his eyes (and immediately regretted it, fuck his eyes hurt) and with a resigned sigh, trudged off to go find the damned thing. “Brook, make sure the idiot doesn't toss his chopsticks away too!” Brook responded with a mock salute.

“Aye aye!”

 

Up ahead, Nami shook her head in mild exasperation and followed Robin to the fallen corpses. There was quite a few of them, but she couldn't see anything which might have caused it. Then again, chances were they hadn't been properly balanced to begin with. Robin, on the other hand, quickly drew her attention to one body which was curled up next to the wall. It didn't look like it had fallen over from a sitting position, but rather as if it had been lying down to begin with. She handed her lantern to Nami and began to inspect the body. It was the first one to be positioned differently.

This one, too, was dressed in the same style as all the others. She suspected they had been male, but the partially rotted, dried skin made discerning features near impossible without starting to remove clothing. There was a splotch of black on the shoulder of his shirt, a stab wound, but it seemed to be the only one he had. It shouldn't have been fatal. She pushed his shirt collar away, revealing what was left of the wound. It looked nasty, even though it had dried out centuries ago. An infection? That could have killed him, but it would have taken longer. She had a sinking feeling; in order for an infection to set in, he would have had to be alive. Following her instincts, she shifted her focus to his hands and saw exactly what she didn't want to see. His fingertips were damaged, skin broken and there was evidence of bleeding. All ten of his fingernails were missing. Unwillingly, but knowing she had to, Robin moved her gaze to the wall. They were faint, but there were scratches there. Snagged in a small crack was something she knew to be a fingernail without having to check. The other nine were probably somewhere on the floor. The bodies hadn't fallen over on their own, then. They'd been knocked over.

“This one wasn't dead.” She spoke quietly, but everyone fell silent. There was a moment of confusion at first, but Robin could sense the mounting horror as her words sank in. “He may have been unconscious and injured, but he wasn't killed. I think an infection was what got him in the end… but not before he found himself here.”

“Oh god…” Nami looked ready to vomit. “But they would have noticed! Especially if his wound got infected, he would have been running a fever! The other bodies would have been… cold...”

Robin considered her reply carefully, but eventually settled on the truth. “I'm sure they _did_ notice.”

A small, strangled noise from Chopper was the only sound to be heard.

* * *

_Finally, the siblings all came forward together, bearing one last gift._

“ _In this world we all live in, there will be times when you must see beyond the obvious,” said the First._

“ _You will have to see hidden meaning in words…,” said the Second,_

“ _...In actions…,” said the Third,_

“ _...In things beyond your control,” said the Fourth._

“ _Implication.”_

“ _Consequence.”_

“ _Opportunity.”_

“ _Truth.”_

“ _May you see the world for what it is, may you have the wisdom to understand what you observe.”_

“ _This is the final blessing of a loving guardian.”_

“ _May your perception serve you well.”_

* * *

Sanji grumbled to himself as he stepped over the bodies, careful not to so much as nudge them if he could help it. There was just enough space for him to make his way through, though he had to watch where he put his feet. He held his lantern high, keeping an eye out for the lost lunchbox. Damn thing had landed somewhere around here… Aha! There it was, a couple meters ahead. He stepped over another body, doing his level best not to think too hard about it. Everything about the situation rubbed him the wrong way, and it was just getting worse.

 

He was just about to pick up the box when Robin's voice reached his ears. A small, distant part of his mind marveled at how well sound could carry in the cave, but the rest focused on the way her words settled like ice at the pit of his stomach.

“I'm sure they _did_ notice.”

His imagination was quick to supply helpful images of being trapped underground in the pitch darkness, surrounded by the silence of the dead. Trapped, probably delirious, no-one around to help, to even hear. He shivered, shoved the thoughts aside, and forced himself to focus on the lunchbox. Nothing ominous there.

Someone was talking again, but the voice seemed to come from far away and he couldn't tell what they were saying. He found he didn't care. Focus on the task at hand, do not think about solid stone walls on all sides. _Do not._

He picked up the box, devoting entirely too much attention to the grain and weight of the wood. He stuffed it in his bag mechanically, and started to get up again. As he straightened up, something glinted in the corner of his eye, having caught the light of his lantern. He turned, curious and grateful for the diversion. He made his way over, and slowly crouched to get a better look. In front of him was a body, small enough to have belonged to a child. Age eleven or twelve, at most. Sanji felt nauseous as that occurred to him, but forgot about it almost instantly. The child had a thin leather cord tied around their head, like some kind of headband. What caught Sanji's attention, however, was the stone which hung from it so that it was positioned at the center of the child's forehead, with three beads hanging on either side. Without any direction from himself, his hand lifted and gently wiped away the grime from the stone in the middle. Recognition hit him with all the force of a cannon ball.

 

There was a faded silver spiral carved in the middle.

 

The walls suddenly seemed to close in, he couldn't breathe. The feeling he'd had since breaking the seal finally crystallized into an all-consuming sense of _wrong, wrong, WRONG._ They shouldn't be here, not him and his crew, not any of these people. His own, identical pendant felt heavy around his neck, the stone cold against his chest.

 

_Dump them in the sea._

 

But they _were_ here, undeniably, had been here for centuries and it wasn't right. They were trapped, like the one poor soul who'd been alive. Dark, alone, unable to go anywhere. Why were they here?

 

_Bury them at sea._

 

The air was heavy, saturated with anger, with fear, with despair. Trapped. Were these his own emotions? He didn't think so. Whose were they?

 

_Granny said she wanted to be buried at sea. Why aren't you listening to me? She told me._

 

Down here, under god knew how many tonnes of rock and earth, they'd sat for years, unable to even fully rot away. Trapped, stuck, suffocating even they no longer needed to breathe. And there, tinging everything, a sense of apathy, mixing with the swirling sensations and half-formed images which swam through him and around him.

 

_Why would anyone want to be buried underground?_

 

His eyes burned.

 

He managed to come back to himself enough to tear his gaze away, only to be met with more. There were the Fish. But they were all wrong, not silver, but a dull, listless gray. They hung dead in the air, unmoving. Most of them occupied the space above their heads, just out of reach, but some remained close to the corpses, silently hovering over their shoulders. Dead, just like these people. Could the Fish die?

 

He felt delirious, like that man had before he died. The walls were so heavy, so close, he needed to escape, he'd feebly scratched at the walls… Had Robin actually said anything about that? Wearing his precious fingers to the bone as his body got weaker… No, that wasn't Sanji. He hadn't been here when the bodies were still fresh, he wasn't stuck.

 

His mind didn't feel like his own.

 

His gaze dropped feebly to his own hand, and he froze (or had he been frozen to begin with?). There, at his fingertips, one of the gray Fish. It was touching him, he hadn't seen it but he must have accidentally hit it. It hadn't moved out of the way. They were supposed to move out of the way.

 

His thoughts were stuck in a thick fog, but something broke through. He jerked his hand back, and the feelings settled down some and the images faded completely. A headache bloomed in a split second, and, _fuck_ , his eyes hurt. He could still see the Fish, could still feel that things were so very, very wrong.

 

He may have whimpered, but he wasn't sure. No, he must have done, that was Chopper at his shoulder, asking if he was okay. He wasn't. Or maybe he was. Was he really feeling any of this, or did this pain belong to someone else again?

 

He didn't know what he said, if anything, but the next thing he knew he was being helped to his feet. The voices were getting clearer now, and he could associate them with the right names. It all still sounded like he was listening through a wad of cotton wool, but his thoughts were making more sense. He took in a shaky breath and only now realized how badly his lungs ached. Had he remembered to breathe at all during whatever the hell that had just been?

The world was slowly coming back into focus around him. It was Luffy who was supporting most of his weight, and Chopper was leading the way back to the exit. The others had crowded behind them, asking questions in worried tones. Fuck, he hadn't meant to worry them. There was no need for that, he was already feeling a bit better. Not good, not by a long shot, but better. He brought a hand to his head, but paused when he realized both his hands were empty. Shit. He blearily wondered if he'd dropped his lantern or if someone had taken it from him. The damn lunchbox was MIA too.

“It's okay,” he somehow managed to slur. “Just need some air. You can…,” fuck now everything was spinning, “...do whatever you need to… down here.” There. A complete, if poorly enunciated sentence.

“Like hell it's okay!” Chopper's angry voice called from up front. “Luffy, come on, we need to get him outside. I can't see well enough down here.”

“Got it!” Quicker than Sanji could process (which admittedly wasn't all that impressive right now), he found himself on Luffy's back, being carried out.

“I can walk, dammit!” he complained. Everyone ignored him.

 

Chopper set a brisk pace, leading them out of the second chamber and then out of the first. The air was getting fresher the further up the tunnel they went, a definite improvement. The others had stayed behind, something Sanji was rather happy about. He was already going to face an interrogation at Chopper's hands, he didn't need any extra audience for that.

“Luffy, seriously. You can put me down now.”

“Nah.”

“What do mean, 'nah'? I can walk on my own! Let me down, shithead!” Luffy was silent a moment, then laughed. He still didn't let Sanji go, though. And Sanji, for all his protesting, found he didn't mind all that much. He doubted his legs could carry him very well yet.

 

His head and eyes still hurt like hell, but it was easier to breathe. The chaos in his mind was settling down, leaving room for more rational thoughts. Mostly they comprised of questions, none so prominent as the one ringing on a loop: What the everloving fuck had just happened?


	7. Chapter 7

The cool, fresh and above all _open_ air was a blessing. The sun had risen fully now, and a slight breeze rustled through the leaves above them. Late morning light trickled down through the treetops, playing with the shadows still left behind. Some Fish drifted gently by, each one of them glinting their true silver. All of it contrasted sharply with the stifling stillness of the cave, and left Sanji wondering if the world had always felt so… alive. He definitely held a newfound appreciation for it.

“Alright Luffy, just put him down here. Have him lean against the rock and make sure he stays upright.” Chopper's instructions were quick and professional, but Sanji failed to recognize the doctor's capability, being too busy being offended.

“I'm not gonna just keel over! I can sit up on my own!” Luffy just laughed, the stretchy bastard, and followed Chopper's orders. Sanji glared at him throughout the whole thing, silently communicating that he was doing this under protest. It would have been a lot more effective if Luffy had been looking him in the face. When his captain finally did meet his gaze, Sanji was surprised by how quickly his grin disappeared and morphed into a worried expression.

“Chopper!” Luffy called. The reindeer looked up from preparing his medical kit to see what was wrong and came closer. He caught sight of whatever Luffy had seen and hissed.

“Shit, your eye!” Chopper pushed Sanji's hair away from his face, revealing his other eye too. Sanji's indignant squawk went wholly ignored. “They're both really bloodshot! What the hell happened?”

“Are they?” Huh. Well, they did hurt like a bitch. He just hadn't expected there to be any visible indication of it.

“Do they hurt?”

“A bit, yeah.” Sanji hissed in pain as Chopper carefully pushed back his eyelid a bit to get a better look. “ _Especially_ if you do that!”

“Sorry, but I have to see. Did you get something in them?”

“I dunno, maybe plaster dust? Or there was something in the air?” A slightly less-than-truthful answer, but what the hell was he supposed to say?

“No-one else experienced any adverse effects. Of course, if this is an allergic reaction of some kind...” Chopper backed off for a moment, returning a moment later with a small bottle in hand. “Tilt your head back. Luffy, keep him still.” That was all the warning Sanji had before Chopper administered some liquid to both his eyes. Half a second later, Sanji was convinced it had been some kind of chili extract, because holy _fuck_ did it ever sting!

“Don't rub them! The eye drops should help alleviate the irritation.” Sanji sputtered in disbelief and clamped his eyes shut. He brought his hands up despite Chopper's order, but they were quickly caught; Luffy was taking his job as doctor's assistant very seriously, it would seem. Damn him.

“I'm sorry about the stinging, but it should pass in a moment. But for now I need you to describe how you feel. Any difficulty breathing?” The pain in his eyes was starting to fade, but he kept them shut. He turned his head towards Chopper's voice to answer.

“No, I'm fine.”

“'Fine' doesn't leave you unresponsive! Are you feeling light-headed? Nauseous?”

“I said I'm-”

“If you say you’re fine one more time I swear I will confine you to the infirmary for the rest of your natural life. What happened to you down there? You stopped moving, you wouldn't answer when called, I'm pretty sure you weren't breathing for a bit! And you looked…,” Chopper paused, searching for an accurate term, “scared, or something.”

Sanji didn't have an answer. He had no idea what he'd looked like, he'd barely been aware of himself at all. “I… don't know what to tell you, Chopper.” The doctor sighed.

“Your speech isn't slurred anymore, and your reactions aren't delayed. You seem better now, at least, but you have to tell me everything you can. If you have some kind of allergy or something, I need to know. Those things can kill you. So this time, don't try to shrug it off. Tell me exactly how you feel right now, and how you felt back in the cave.” There was an unsaid 'or else' hanging at the end of that demand, Sanji knew. He had no choice in the matter, not if he didn't want Chopper to do something drastic. He hesitated, carefully editing the events as he prepared to tell them.

“In the cave… I don't know. My eyes started stinging, but I figured it was just the dry air. As for the other stuff, I really can't tell you. If I stopped breathing, I sure as hell didn't notice. I heard you ask if I was okay, but I don't know when you got there or if you said anything before that. I guess I felt light-headed? Sort of? It's gone now, same with everything else. Just a bit of a headache left, but it's no worse than normal-” he cut himself off, but it was too late. A tense silence settled over the three of them, one which dragged on for far too long. Slowly, Sanji opened his eyes to see what he was dealing with.

 

That was a mistake.

 

Chopper's face was carefully blank, not betraying a single emotion. Somehow, that made it worse.

“Normal?” the doctor asked in a calm, even tone. It was sharp as a scalpel.

“Uh…” Sanji desperately searched for a way to take back what he'd said, but failed miserably. “I mean...”

“Sanji.” Chopper leaned in closer, staring him dead in the eye, unblinking. It was one of the scariest things he'd ever seen. “Just how long have you been having these headaches?”

Sanji debated his options. He could lie, but right now Chopper probably had the power of telepathy through sheer force of anger and he had no doubt the reindeer would quite gleefully murder him, put him back together, and then do it again should he even dare to try. But if he told the truth…

 

Oh look at that, his life was flashing before his eyes. Best get this over with.

 

Sanji told him.

 

Up in the trees, birds sang cheerfully. The air was cool, but warming quickly. It was calm, as it always was out here, and even the shyest of wildlife was out enjoying it. It was peaceful day.

“WATER 7?”

Birds took to the sky, animals within a kilometer’s radius fled. Anything capable of being that loud had to be dangerous. Down on the ground, back against a rock and with nowhere to run, Sanji feared for his life.

“YOU'VE HAD HEADACHES SINCE WATER 7 AND YOU DIDN'T SEE FIT TO TELL ME?”

Now, there were plenty of things Sanji could have said. He could have pointed out that they hadn't been that bad. He could have said that, in fact, he'd gotten more work done during that time than ever. And, had his mind not shut down in terror, he could have quite reasonably brought to attention the fact that he'd stopped having them a while ago. He said none of those things. He'd deny it later, but in that moment, faced with the full force of Chopper's wrath, all he could manage was a single, terrified “meep”. He risked a glance at Luffy, but the serious expression on his captain's face promised no help. He was in this alone.

“I'm… sorry?” he managed, but his apology just fanned the flames.

“SORRY? _SORRY?_ SORRY IS WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? 'Oh my head is hurting, so instead of going to Chopper and letting him DO HIS JOB, I'm just going to sit here and suffer through it! Perfect! I'm Sanji and I take no responsibility for my own well-being!' IS THAT IT?” Sanji didn't dare to even begin being offended by the mocking imitation of his own voice. It was not worth dying over. As it stood, it was a miracle Chopper hadn't switched to Heavy Point and punted him all the way back to the Sunny.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M HERE _FOR?_ IF SOMETHING'S WRONG, YOU COME TO ME, YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER BASTARD!”

As the rant continued, Sanji wondered if it was too late to go back and take his chances with the cave. Eventually, Chopper's rage lowered in volume, if not intensity. He went through a basic checkup rougher than necessary, but, again, Sanji wasn't about to complain.

“As soon as we get back, you are going to go to the infirmary without a word and let me do a proper checkup. And if you hide things from me again, I will _end you_. Have I made myself clear?” Sanji just nodded. “Good. I can't find anything dangerously wrong right now, so you should be fine until then. Your eyes are looking better too. We'll wait for the others to finish up, and then we'll leave. That'll give you a chance to recover from whatever happened.” With that, Chopper went to work packing up his medical kit. Sanji breathed a subtle sigh of relief, he hadn't been killed. Quite. Beside him, Luffy laughed.

“What's so funny?”

“Shishishi, you said 'meep'!”

“Shut up, Luffy.”

* * *

“ _These gifts are yours to use as you see fit. Keep them to yourselves, or share them with the world; whichever you choose, we will not interfere,” said the Fourth._

“ _You may call upon us in your times of need, but we must all consider our own people as well,” the First told them._

“ _Your guardian, our beloved sister… we can never truly replace her. But in her death, she granted this world new life by giving a place to the wandering souls which had none,” said the Second._

“ _We hope, in giving you all of this, we have been able to do the same for you,” said the Third._

* * *

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Nami asked as Chopper and Luffy got Sanji out of the cave.

“Chopper-san is quite capable,” Brook answered, handing his lantern to Nami and heading over to pick up Sanji’s things from where they’d been left.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’m sure Doctor-san will do his best… although I do hope Cook-san wasn’t hit by some kind of deadly curse which slowly eats him from the inside out.”

“You’re not helping, Robin. But… what happened to him? He was fine one moment, and the next he’s just...” the navigator gestured vaguely, unable to find the right words.

“I don’t know if he was exactly ‘fine’ beforehand, if I’m completely honest. He seemed a little… out of sorts,” Brook said as he made his way past the bodies. He was desperately trying not to think about curses. It had been easier before Robin decided to bring them up again.

“He was? Why didn’t you say anything?” Nami demanded.

“I did ask him about it, he said he was fine.” Nami rolled her eyes.

“He would, wouldn’t he...” She shook her head, then turned to Robin. “Is there still anything else you want to do down here? I mean, it would probably be best if we made sure Sanji-kun makes it back to the ship alright.”

“There’s only so much I can gather from a cursory inspection in low light. If possible, I’d like to bring a body back up to the surface. I’ll be able to see better in daylight. I’d want to take it all the way back to the ship, but I don’t think we’ll be able to do that.”

“Not unless we bring the Sunny ‘round to the northern shore, and then we might as well be advertising our location. Uh… which one do you want to bring up?” Robin looked around, eyes falling on the one poor soul who’d spent his last moments alive clawing at the dark. On the practical side, his body was the least damaged and thus could likely tell her the most. And on a more instinctual level, it felt like something that needed to be done. His fate had been cruel. He deserved to get out. Nami followed Robin’s gaze and nodded in agreement. It felt right.

“Brook, can you give us a hand here?”

“In a moment, I just have to- oh. Robin-san, this one is a little different, if you’d like to take a look...” Brook had stopped where Sanji had experienced his… episode, for lack of a better word. He’d picked up the cook’s bag and lantern (which was luckily intact – no telling what an open flame would do in a room full of dry corpses), and in doing so caught sight of a small body wearing some form of jewelry on its forehead. He stepped out of the way when Robin got to where he stood, holding up the lantern to give her more light.

“A child… And none of the others are wearing anything like this...” She leaned in closer, until she could make out the carving. “A spiral?” she quietly said to herself, eyes narrowing. A suspicion began to take shape in her mind, but she refrained from jumping to conclusions. “I’m going to take this one up as well. Can you two get the other one?”

Brook and Nami went to do as asked, while Robin carefully gathered up the child’s corpse in her arms. Brook was able to carry the other on his own, so Nami was left with the lanterns and Sanji’s bag. They all moved slowly towards the exit, doing their best to avoid causing any further damage to the bodies. None of them spoke on the way out. After all, what was there to say about what they had seen? The idea that anyone could do something so terrible was difficult to even begin wrapping their heads around.

 

It was almost funny how much heavier the bodies felt the closer they got to the sunlight, as if they were weighed down by years of dark and silence, and the ones still left behind.

* * *

“ _Yours is the realm where land meets sea meets sky. Travel the borders of our homes far and wide, wherever your hearts may take you.”_

“ _Yours is the horizon, where all the world becomes one.”_

“ _For you, who have been lost for so long...”_

“ _We speak on behalf of our sister one last time.”_

 

“ _Welcome home,” the siblings declared together._

* * *

The others emerged from the cave sooner than Sanji had expected them to, not that he could blame them. He wouldn’t want to stick around down there. His intended greeting never made it out of his mouth, as he spotted what Brook and Robin were carrying. He instantly recognized the headband the child wore, and although he’d never seen the other, he knew exactly which body it was. It sent a shiver down his spine and made his fingertips twinge, and what unnerved him was that he couldn’t tell if it was out sympathy or memory.

The two bodies were gently lowered to the ground, and not even Luffy broke the silence. This was the first time the corpses were out in open air in centuries. The moment didn’t drag on for very long, and Robin knelt next to them to start a thorough inspection. Nami, meanwhile, extinguished the lanterns and handed Sanji his bag.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, her tone gentler than usual. It sent Sanji’s heart rate soaring.

“Never better, my beautiful flower, now that you’re here!” He pointedly ignored Chopper’s muttered ‘never better, my ass’, and continued to profess his everlasting love. Nami, for her part, let out an exasperated sigh.

“At least you’re acting normal again.” She gave Chopper a quick glance, but aside his incoherent grumbling, he didn’t seem to have anything to add. Sanji wasn’t dying, then. “We’ll let Robin finish her work, then I guess we should head back towards town. I still want to look into any more maps I can find, maybe speak to a local cartographer...” Sanji was about to offer to go with her, but Chopper’s scathing glare was intimidating enough for him to remain silent.

“I’ll be taking Sanji back to the ship. Brook, will you come with us?” the doctor asked.

“I think I shall, I’ve had quite enough adventure for one day.”

Seeing as no-one was about to listen to his input, Sanji turned his attention instead to Robin. She’d found something, if her frown was anything to go by. Slowly, he got onto his feet and stood up. Beside him, Luffy threw him a glance, grinning like he always did. Despite the carefree expression, his gaze was just a bit too intense to be entirely casual.

Sanji paid him no attention, feeling better now that he was the one doing the ignoring. He could walk just fine, and to prove it he made his way to Robin without the slightest wobble. He hesitated a moment, before kneeling next to her and getting a good look at the bodies for the first time. They looked no better in daylight.

“Have you found anything?” he asked softly, not wanting to break her concentration, but morbidly curious at the same time. She nodded in response.

“Their clothes would seem to be made of cotton, kept in remarkably good condition by the dry air back in the cave. I can’t say for sure whether the cotton was grown here, although I would assume not. The island is a bit small for it, so it is more probable that the material was imported from elsewhere. The island’s location makes it an ideal trading hub, so it isn’t a stretch to imagine that being true centuries ago as well.” Robin ran her fingers gently along a seam in the fabric. “Then there’s the color. They both are dressed almost exclusively in various shades of blue. My best guess is that indigo dye was used, since it had become increasingly common in many countries around the time period I’m estimating them to be from. It was especially used to dye cotton because it worked better with the material than most other dyes. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, the color itself may have held some significance to them. Either way, the dye, too, was likely imported. The plant it comes from, _Indigofera tinctoria,_ thrives in more tropical areas. Finally, do you see this pattern here?” She pointed at what looked like a repeating series of stylized cresting waves along the shirt’s hem and sleeves. Sanji peered closer. It was a simple design, with the tops of the waves curling inwards in what was almost a spiral.

“Yeah.”

“Since this is an island, the ocean would have played a large role in these people’s livelihood. It’s not surprising to see its influence elsewhere in the culture, such as in design. This is also why I think the color blue was probably important to them in some way, as it is commonly associated with the sea.”

Sanji stared at the two corpses, running through Robin’s words in his head. She’d managed to glean a hell of a lot of information from their clothing alone. She really was amazing at what she did, and he had every intention of telling her as much. In the end he didn’t get the chance, as Robin wasn’t done yet.

“I feel my initial assessment on his cause of death was accurate. I could find no other significant wounds, and the one he had really was infected. It would have killed him long before dehydration set in.”

Meaning he hadn’t starved either, Sanji filled in. But he’d already known that, because he’d seen it…

“As for the child… her clothing is highly similar, if differently cut, but what sets her apart is this,” Robin said, pointing at the stone hanging at the center of the child’s forehead. “No-one else down there was wearing anything like it, even though I did find a few who were wearing jewelry. Placing the stone over the forehead might have held some importance.”

“How so?”

“In many cultures, the forehead is considered to be linked with intelligence or the mind, or similar things. For example, have you ever heard of the third eye?”

“I think I might have come across the term…?”

“It’s a concept which shows up in a number of spiritual traditions. The specifics tend to differ, but the gist remains the same: an inner eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. Usually, it is believed to be placed in the center of the forehead.”

It took Sanji a moment to form his reply. Perception beyond ordinary sight…? “So… the pendant indicates the third eye?”

“It could, but it is important to keep in mind that just because it shows up in other cultures doesn’t mean it’s the case here. At best, it’s a possibility. It could just as easily be a crown of some sort, or some other denotation of social rank. It may even not have any significance at all.”

“Oh.” Sanji’s gaze remained on the pendant, all the while acutely aware of the one around his neck, kept out view under his shirt. Shouldn’t he say something? Why was he finding it so hard to coax the words out of his throat?

“As for her cause of death, I initially thought she’d been stabbed in the chest, given the amount of blood on her front.” Indeed, her shirt was stained almost completely black. “However, on closer inspection, I found no such wound. I was beginning to think the blood wasn’t hers, but… well. Have a look.” Ever so gently, Robin pushed at what skin remained around one of the girl’s eyes, giving Sanji an unsettling view into the hollow space where an eyeball had once been.

“Um...”

“Do you see how the back of her eye socket has shattered? Something pierced right through her eye, through bone and into her brain. It would definitely have killed her.”

“An arrow?”

“I thought so at first. However, I now think it was probably a thin blade.”

“What…,” Sanji paused, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer he was going to receive, but then pushed on anyway, “what makes you think that?”

“The exact same thing was done to her other eye, too. Both were done incredibly precisely, with absolutely no damage to surrounding areas. That would be hard to do with anything but a sword or dagger.”

Bile rose in his throat in tandem with the implications dawning in his mind. This child hadn’t been mindlessly cut down in the midst of whatever chaos had taken place. Someone had known exactly what they were doing.

“But- no, she was… she’s just a child, who- who would… why…?” His words came out in pieces, broken up by his horror. Robin, for her part, took a deep breath before continuing with a grim expression.

“It’s overkill. The first stab would have killed her, beyond any shadow of a doubt. Despite that, someone took the time to do it again. It makes it seem far more personal. And there’s one more thing...” Sanji almost wished she’d stop talking. She was brilliant, truly she was, but her words stirred far too vivid images in his mind.

“Her eyelids are undamaged, which means her eyes were open at the time. Closing one’s eyes when something gets too close is a reflexive action. That means that someone may have held them open to prevent that from happening.” Softly, Robin placed a hand over the girl’s eyes. “I can only hope it was over quickly.”

“Oh god…” He was going to be sick. What kind of twisted monster could do something like that to a fucking _child?_ And right there, next to her body, lay another whose death had been horrific. Why…

_why was it so dark? Is anyone there? Someone please, help me…_

_-_ why couldn’t he shake the memory of what he’d seen down there? If anything, it was becoming clearer now that he had the chance to process it all. At least he didn’t feel like he was being driven out of his own head this time, cold comfort as that may be.

 

_Let me out, I beg of you_

 

Buried alive, and stabbed through the eyes. Hundreds of people crushed and cut down, shot and ripped apart, left below in a smothering, all-encompassing darkness. Why?

 

_Answer me! Someone, anyone..._

 

Dead Fish overhead, a pitiful, haunting mockery of what they were supposed to be.

 

_Please_

 

“Cook-san?” He snapped out of it, focusing on Robin who was giving him a concerned look. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, no need to worry,” he replied with a smile he knew he’d failed to make convincing.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Chopper said darkly from behind him, making him jump. Shit, the kid’s doctor senses must have gone off the moment Robin checked on him.

“Chopper, really-”

“Oh no you don’t. I’m through hearing your excuses. Everyone’s back now, so it’s time to leave. I still have every intention of giving you a proper checkup, whether you like it or not.”

“Come on-” Sanji immediately shut his mouth when Chopper looked him in the eye. The reindeer’s glare was the stuff of nightmares.

“We’re leaving?” Nami asked, as she and the others joined them. Robin nodded.

“I think I’ve learned all I can for the time being.”

“Good. Uh, what should we do with… them?” Nami asks, gesturing towards the two bodies. “There’s no point in taking them back down, and it doesn’t seem right to just leave them out here, either.”

“Perhaps we should dig them a proper grave?” suggested Brook.

“The ground here is kinda packed, and we don’t have any shovels. Maybe we can burn them?”

“Cremation is often the preferred method of burial,” Robin added. “However, smoke would draw attention to us.”

“Guess we’ll just have to look for softer ground, then. Luffy can dig the hole.”

 

Sanji sat just off to the side, right next to the corpses, fighting off a wave of apprehension and disgust at the mere mention of a grave in the ground.

 

_Too dark to tell up from down, cold bodies pressed up against him on all sides. No way out, only solid, unforgiving stone_

 

“No,” he said, too quietly for anyone to hear.

 

_Trying to stand, legs giving out underneath him. Crawling, crawling until he could go no further, the walls came to meet him_

 

“It’s the best we can do for now, I guess. We shouldn’t have to go too far to find a good spot.”

 

_Help me…_

 

“No,” he repeated in a stronger voice. The discussion stopped, and he could sense their gazes on him. He didn’t turn to look, instead keeping his own gaze on the man whose last moments were playing out just behind his eyes.

 

_Can anyone hear me…? Please…_

 

“Sanji-kun?” There was concern in Nami’s tone, and it should have delighted him. In fact it did, in a vague way, but he couldn’t scrape together enough of his focus to react to it. Everything he had was working to bring out the right words, words which he was trying to pull in from far away. It shouldn’t have been that difficult, yet they kept slipping through his fingers like a handful of water.

 

_I don’t want to die like this_

 

“...At sea,” he said. He became aware of the silver congregating at the edges of his vision; the Fish were gathering. It didn’t feel like Enies Lobby though, not this time. For now, the Fish merely watched.

“What?”

“Bury them at sea.” Now, he finally turned around to meet everyone’s confused looks.

“Why do you say that? It will take us lot more time to bring them to the shore than it would to dig a grave,” Brook said, with an edge of caution. As a matter of fact, they all looked a little wary.

“Because-”

 

_because buried among the confusion, fear and pain was desperate wish to see the ocean one last time, a memory of billowing sails and the smell of brine_

 

“...because it makes the most sense.” It was getting easier to speak again. “It’s like you said, Robin-chan. The ocean was important to them.” Robin nodded slowly.

“That is true, but offers no solid evidence of their burial traditions. You seem… very certain.”

“The people who killed them wouldn’t show them the respect of burying them the way they would want to be,” Sanji continued.

“But didn’t Robin also say that they might have been acting according to their own customs?” Nami pointed out.

“They buried a man alive, and stabbed a child’s eyes out. There’s no way that was what they’d normally do. So if they just continued in that vein and buried those people in a way they would never want to be...”

“...It would be anathema to them,” Robin finished his thought off. “No peace even in death.”

“Exactly. Look, I know it’ll take more time, but… they do deserve better than what they got.” He looked them all in the eye imploringly. “Please?”

Glances were exchanged, everyone eventually turning to Robin to make the final call. This was her area of expertise.

“I see no harm in it, if that’s what you believe would be best.”

“Thank you. Nami-san, I hate to bother you, but do you think you could lead us to the closest shore?”

“Yeah, that should be easy enough. It’ll still be a bit of a trek, though.”

“Hold up! Sanji, the only place you’re going is the infirmary!” Chopper protested.

“I promise I can handle it.”

“You’d say that even if you were two seconds away from dying of blood loss!”

“Please, Chopper. I’ll even stay in the infirmary overnight if it makes you feel better, but just let me see this through.” Sanji held Chopper’s gaze, sounding as sincere as he could. It worked, to some extent; the young doctor looked hesitant rather than murderous. Sensing he still needed a small push, Sanji continued, “Besides, I know you’re skilled enough to take care of anything that might happen.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, bastard!” Chopper exclaimed, as flattery proceeded to get Sanji exactly where he wanted to go. “Alright, fine. But with two conditions: first, if you start feeling off _in any way_ you will tell me immediately. Second, I intend to hold you to that promise. I’ll be keeping you overnight, and if you get it in your head to try and get out of it after all I will make you regret it. Clear?”

“Crystal.”

* * *

_The leaders of the fifth’s people realized the enormity of all they had been given, and bowed their heads in gratitude. Silently, they swore to themselves to make the most of it all, in honor of their lost guardian and the family she had left behind. Heads still respectfully lowered, they spoke their thanks on behalf of all their people. The siblings accepted this gratitude with grace, before bidding they return home to spread the news._

_The leaders took their leave upon this dismissal, carrying with them an unfamiliar sense of hope. Excited, they hurried home, ready to tell all about the generosity they had encountered._

_Had they taken a moment to reflect, they would have realized that while four siblings had bade them welcome, five voices had been heard._

* * *

Robin kept a close eye on the cook as the group walked through the forest. He was loosely surrounded by everyone else, although whether he realized this was intentional, she did not know. He seemed to be doing well enough, but the same could be said about the moments immediately before his episode in the cave. Not even Luffy wandered too far off, remaining close at hand in case he was needed again. There was a small amount of tension hanging over all of them, each ready to react should anything go wrong.

 

However, that wasn’t the only reason for their wariness. Certainly, Sanji’s health was a concern; first, he’d seemingly spaced out when leading them to the cave, followed closely by him momentarily shutting down completely. Even now, there was a certain sluggishness in his movements which indicated he hadn’t quite recovered. Still, there was something else there too, something harder to pin down. It hadn’t been there when Sanji sat down with her to ask what she’d found, or when the others joined them. But when he’d spoken out against digging the corpses a grave…

 

The air around him had shifted, there was no other way to put it. What exactly it was, Robin could not say. She was having considerable difficulty even in simply describing the change to herself. Whatever it was, the others had picked up on it as well, and as far as she could tell they hadn’t understood it any better than she had. It hadn’t been threatening, and Sanji’s body language hadn’t changed at all. But something had been different.

 

And then he’d turned around to face them, mental state unreadable, eyes unblinking and opened just a smidgen too wide. He’d looked directly at them, spoken directly to them, yet at the same time it had felt like he wasn’t really seeing them. It was just enough to register as unsettling.

 

And she had no explanation for it. Sanji had done nothing wrong or explicitly out of the ordinary in asking for the corpses to be buried out at sea. He was the compassionate type, so it was only to be expected that he felt sympathy in this situation. It should not feel as strange as it did. Of course, his hypothesis about their preferred method of burial didn’t have enough evidence for it to be accepted by the academic community, but then again it wasn’t like he was going to be writing a paper on it. Still, he seemed to believe in his own conclusion rather strongly, perhaps more so than she would have anticipated given how well he tended to think things out. Is that what she found so odd? Or was it something completely separate from his actions?

 

Whatever it was, Robin would not let it interfere. If burying the bodies out at sea gave Sanji some peace of mind, then she would gladly see it through. Even if he was wrong, what would it matter? What’s dead is dead. Harsh as it sounded, the corpses couldn’t care what happened to them. Burial rites were for the living.

* * *

_The leaders each returned to their camps, and gathered their people together. Confusion and curiosity turned into tentative optimism, and tentative optimism turned into unadulterated joy as the meeting with the siblings was recounted._

_As the sun set, the fifth’s people celebrated in their lost guardian’s name, dancing across the sand of the shores and playing in the waves. The darkening skies glimmered and the sea shimmered in return, and they enveloped the world with stars. Eyes bright and voices clear, the fifth’s people sang songs of hope and joy and gratitude long into the night._

 

_The ocean sang with them._

 

_The world shifted, and turned toward morning._

* * *

Sanji walked straight ahead, following Nami’s lead. He hadn’t been allowed to carry either of the corpses, and his protests had once again gone ignored when Robin carried one of them instead. Brook had the other, but that was hardly Sanji’s concern. Chopper’s glare had been enough to make him stop complaining, no matter how much it rubbed him the wrong way for a lady to have to carry anything, let alone a body. And… he felt like he really should be doing more. Two out of several hundred was not even putting a dent in the horrible scene hidden deep underground.

Around him, the others kept unusually silent with the exception of Luffy, who was making more than enough noise to compensate for all of them. Sanji didn’t dwell on it, focused on their strange and centuries-late funeral procession. The Fish swam alongside him, mimicking his single-minded movement forward. There weren’t very many, nothing like Enies Lobby, but they had a similar sense of purpose about them, even if they weren’t doing anything.

 

How odd. He’d followed them to the cave, and now they were following him to the sea.

 

He hadn’t been paying his surroundings all that much attention, so their arrival at the shore was a bit of a surprise. There was no sand, only boulders and moss descending into the water. Undeterred, he jumped to the closest rock and held out his arms.

“I’ll take them down.” Chopper started to protest, but was quieted by a nudge from Luffy, who shook his head slightly. Robin, being the closest, stepped up to hand him the body she carried.

“Before you take her, I’d like to ask if I could keep her headband. I may still be able to learn something from it,” she said gently. Sanji wondered why she was asking him.

“Of course. I don’t think she’ll be using it...” Robin nodded, and carefully pulled the pendant off the child’s head. That done, Sanji made his way down to the water, jumping from rock to rock with as little jostling as he could manage.

At the water’s edge he knelt down and delicately lowered the girl into the water. Her body floated. Without letting himself hesitate, Sanji went back up again to get the other corpse, and returned to lay that one in the water too.

He paused. So much was missing, even if he had no idea exactly what. It was all so… unceremonious. There were words and rituals he knew nothing about and could not begin to imitate even if he did. What had they believed in? Was there a god out there they would have wanted to dedicate their souls to? Or was it just the ocean? Who had the man begged to save him?

“I...” No. He tried again. “ _I heard you. I… heard. I’m sorry it took so long, and I’m sorry that the others are still down there._ ” It felt stupid talking to someone who could no longer hear him, but he spoke anyway. Someone had to. “ _I hope this is what the both of you would have wanted. You’re free now._ ”

Gently, he pushed the bodies away from the rock and hoped the waves wouldn’t wash them right back up again. Then, around his fingers, he felt the current change. It led away and out towards the ocean, and in a mere few seconds caught the two in its way. Some Fish followed after them, even as they sank beneath the surface silently. Sanji lost sight of the bodies, but he watched as the Fish skimmed the water and swam out to sea.

 

Maybe he’d done something right after all.


	8. Chapter 8

The trek back was a quiet one and for Sanji the walk through the cemetery took on a whole new level of unsettling, despite the early morning mist having dissipated and daylight chasing away the creepiness. Not only did they have to be more alert in order to avoid being spotted by the islanders, now the memory of the cave painted everything in a new, terrible light.

He didn’t like it one bit. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Fortunately, they made it out without incident (although there had been one close call with Luffy attempting to play hide-and-seek among the tombstones), which left them at the outskirts of the town as they decided on their plan of action. Chopper was insistent on taking Sanji directly back to the ship and Sanji had no intention to argue. Brook joined them. Robin suggested that the rest of them split up, as both she and Nami still had things they wanted to get done around town, and more importantly, moving in such a large group around the residential district would probably be seen as suspicious.

Luffy, for his part, was ready to make a break for the nearest place that sold food.

Nami and Robin split from the group first and headed for their respective destinations while the others hung back. Surprisingly, Luffy didn’t run off immediately.

“Chopper. I’ll leave Sanji to you,” Luffy said without a trace of his customary cheer. Sanji didn’t even bother to grumble about his opinion not being asked.

“Aye aye!”

“Good.” And just like that, Luffy was grinning again and back to his normal self. “I’m gonna go look for that one barbecue place I found yesterday! Their meat is _so good_! See ya!” Sanji felt nothing but pity for the poor soul that would have to put up with Hurricane Luffy, until he remembered his less-than-ideal experiences with the islanders and felt far better.

The trio set off at a more sedate pace, with idle conversation floating in and out of existence and the occasional concerned glance from Chopper. Luckily, the further they got without Sanji dramatically falling flat on his face the more it seemed to ease the doctor’s worries, but only just in time for him to start worrying about the looks they garnered from the public instead. Everyone they passed glared at Sanji like he was the scum of the earth, as if his death would be an improvement in their eyes. For Chopper, the change from the previous day’s friendly demeanor had to be jarring. The poor kid almost looked like he wanted to cry. To think the people who treated him so nicely could be so cruel… Yet Sanji couldn’t help but feel a touch grateful that it was he who was considered a monster, not the reindeer. Chopper had suffered enough.

Didn’t mean he was any happier about the metaphorical daggers being cast his way.

They turned down an empty street, already able to hear (and in Chopper’s case, smell) the hustle and bustle of the market somewhere up ahead. Silently, Sanji began to brace himself for the inevitable tide of vicious disapproval that was bound to be thrown at him. He distracted himself by watching a few Fish as they went past, again closer than they had used to. They drew level with Chopper, and for just a moment Sanji could have sworn they were tinged with pink-

 

_Crack_

 

Pain exploded from at the back of his head and his vision filled with stars. He stumbled forward and barely managed to catch himself and remain upright. Beside him, Chopper let out a startled yelp and Brook gasped. The instant his vision cleared, Sanji whirled around to face his attacker, as Brook brought a hand to his cane, ready to unsheathe his sword.

What he saw wasn’t quite what he’d expected. There, at the end of the street they had just come from, stood a group of kids. They ranged in age from about twelve to fifteen, and were all doing their best to look intimidating. Some held rocks the size of their fists, and a quick glance towards his feet told Sanji what exactly had just hit him.

The _little shits_ had lobbed a rock at his head!

“What the fuck is the big idea?” he shouted, temper flaring because honestly, this was the last thing he needed. There was a moment of hesitation before the apparent leader of the little pack stepped forward.

“There’s more where that came from, if you don’t fuck off and go die!” Oh he thought he was so tough, didn’t he, the bastard…

“Now now, this is highly unnecessary, wouldn’t you say?” Brook said, his tone more menacing than Sanji had realized he was capable of. A vindictive grin threatened to break out on his face as most of the half-pint terrors flinched.

“Th-this doesn’t concern you, alright? We’re talkin’ to Curly over here, so you just keep walkin’!” the quote-unquote leader shouted back, squaring his shoulders and trying to look bigger than he actually was. It was almost sad how quickly these kids were losing their bravado.

“Yeah! And you, Curly, leave! No-one wants you here, so just go away!” a younger girl shouted, chin tilted up in a fearful kind of defiance. Sanji responded with a tight smile. A lady is a lady, even in the company of downright terrible influences.

“My crew’s log pose will set soon, Miss. After that, I’ll be out of your hair. In the meanwhile, I merely ask for some patience.” The words were more biting than he had intended but he was past the point of caring, what with his brand-spanking-new headache. He gave a short, stiff bow which he was half sure came off as sarcastic. The lead teenager certainly didn’t seem to appreciate it at all.

“You fucker!”

Instinctively, Sanji would have ducked to avoid the rock thrown his way, but when a few Fish veered to the side he followed them instead. He pivoted on his right foot, dodging a second rock he hadn’t realized had been thrown his way by another kid and which he would have ducked into had he gone with his initial reflexes. Without much thought or exertion, he brought his left leg up and caught the first rock with the tip of his shoe as he completed his spin. It was a light kick all in all, but still enough to send the rock flying back far harder than it had been thrown. It whistled right past Mr. Oh-so-tough’s ear with deadly precision, close enough to flick his hair. The teenager’s eyes widened in fear, and the boy seemed frozen to his spot. As the others realized what exactly had happened, they lost whatever approximations of bravery they had held. Some stood briefly paralyzed, while the rest turned tail and fled.

Sanji let his momentum dissipate and lowered his leg calmly. His stance was casual, hands stuffed in his pockets for added effect. “Now then, let’s try this again. I will be leaving as soon as my crew’s log pose has set, no action needed on your part. If, however, you feel you absolutely _must_ do something about it now, you are free to try. But just a word of advice: don’t start a fight you can’t finish. And remember that next time… I won’t miss.” He was laying it on a bit thick at the end there, and threatening kids was _really_ not his cup of tea no matter how annoying or violent they were (unbidden, the memory of the body of the little girl rose to mind), but maybe this way they would leave well enough alone. Perhaps they’d learn not to bite off more than they could chew. The next person they tossed rocks at might not hesitate to strike back.

And maybe he was just a little bit pissed off at them.

Just a bit.

With that, Sanji turned around and continued on his way. Chopper and Brook glanced at each other, the few kids who still remained in their places, and back again. Silently deciding they had nothing to add, they followed. It took a few turns for Chopper to finally finish processing what had just happened, but it was obvious when the realization clicked.

“Sanji, your head!”

* * *

_A murmur passed through the Fifth’s people far and wide, growing louder as it went. Ideas and knowledge moved from one person to the next faster than the words that carried them, a buzz of unshaped energy and potential._

_It did not remain so for long._

_At the hands of skilled woodworkers, at the needles of experienced seamstresses, in the hearts of every born seafarer… there these ideas took form._

_The ocean called for them, and now, at last, the Fifth’s people could answer true._

* * *

Nami made her way through the streets in the direction she’d been told the island’s best cartographer had his business. Unlike the previous day, she didn’t meander about the various stalls looking for good deals, even though she kind of wanted to. Now, she wanted to take a better look at the maps of the northern side. Still, she was observant of her surroundings and quickly cottoned on to a change in the demeanor of the islanders. Maybe it was her fast, purposeful walk, but no-one was quite as… intensely friendly as they had been yesterday. They smiled politely when she made eye contact, some even waved, but none approached her. The difference was small, but it set her on edge.

Or maybe she was being a little paranoid. The memory of the cave was fresh in her mind, and it rather put everything about the island in a different perspective. Even if, logically, the people here today were in no way responsible for what had happened centuries ago.

But would they be the kind of people willing to repeat history, she wondered, unknowingly or otherwise?

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

The bell above the door announced her presence as she entered. The place was well-stocked, and she felt the little thrill she always experienced at the idea of quality mapmakers’ supplies. The walls were papered with examples of the cartographer’s work, each speaking volumes about the man’s skill. He definitely lived up to the reputation he seemed to have.

“Can I help you, missy?” There, at the back of the store was the man himself. His tone was a tad sleazy, but not to the point where Nami was willing to turn right around and leave again. Her respect for him still fell a couple notches, and experience told her it was likely to fall several more before this exchange was over.

“I’m here for supplies and some good maps of the area,” she said.

“Oh, interested in cartography, are ya?” He said the word _cartography_ as if it was somehow supposed to impress her, as if she didn’t know it. The patronizing sort, then. Wonderful.

“I’m my crew’s navigator.” That seemed to surprise him at least, but it didn’t faze him for long.

“Oho! Talented little thing, you are!” Dear god, this was going to be an uphill battle. If this was his idea of flirting, she instantly pitied every woman to ever come within a ten meter radius of the man.

“Yes, very,” she said firmly. “Now, about those maps, if you don’t mind?”

 

Up until that point, she hadn’t realized it was possible to dig around shelves in a pretentious way. She knew better now.

 

“Some of my finest work, these are! Take a good look, missy, and I’ll answer any questions you have.” Nami did her best to ignore his self-important expression, focusing on the undeniably well-made maps in front of her. They were far more detailed than the ones she had looked at the day before. However… the entire northern side of the island was marked as woodland, with absolutely no other landmarks. The cliff was nowhere to be seen, and the elevations seemed off. She had no way of knowing if the coastline was accurate beyond a certain degree, but she was pretty sure the rocky shore they had found was not where the map claimed it to be. It was like someone had only surveyed the land from afar and had made educated guesses about the rest.

Then again, that’s probably exactly what had happened. What she was looking at was someone’s best estimate based on what they had seen from a ship, a fair distance out. Not even a mapmaker was willing to explore beyond the cemetery. It left her in the rather interesting position of knowing more about the island than someone who had lived there for their entire life. Moreover, it now seemed she knew more than a man whose very _job_ was to extensively explore and document what he found.

She studied the map a bit closer and found yet another discrepancy. While some of the shore was relatively well mapped out, even where she suspected only far-off observations supplemented by guesswork had been used, there was a stretch of shore on the northernmost coast that didn’t quite match the rest in style. It wasn’t as detailed, and some of the information given was just plain odd.

 

It seemed made up.

 

And if it was made up, that meant the islanders hadn’t even brought a ship around the northern side within viewing distance. Out on sea with a spyglass, viewing distance was rather far. And if not the islanders, why not any of the trade ships constantly coming and going? Surely there was someone coming in from the north…

With that in mind, she turned her attention to another map, this one detailing a larger area and tracing the all major and some minor trade routes which involved Merchant Island. There were several which approached from the south, east and west, as well as everywhere in between, but none from due north. In fact, there was an entire expanse of open ocean which no route intersected at any point, even when it looked like it would be the shortest way. One route took a massive detour just to avoid the area.

There was something going on there. Superstition was one thing, but for foreign ships to go out of their way like that? No way was that all there was to it. She glanced at the mapmaker, whose own gaze had strayed down to her chest.

She considered the pros and cons of electrocuting the man. She decided she’d get more information without resorting to it, no matter how appealing the idea was. Pity.

“Oh, how odd!” she exclaimed in an airy tone, shooting for ditsy and ignorant. She’d feed his ego and make him sing like a canary. Tracing a finger through the open zone on the map, she asked, “Why don’t the ships just sail through here? Surely that would be so much easier!” Add widened eyes, slightly parted lips, and…

“Ah, you’re not from around here, missy, but fortunately I’m an expert on the area.”

Hook, line and sinker.

“Oh! It really _is_ my lucky day!” It was just too easy, really. The man had utterly failed to attach any significance to how much her tone had changed.

“I’m highly dedicated to my craft, y’know. I’ve spent countless hours researching to make my maps as perfect as they can be.”

“Wow!” Nami exclaimed, biting back an order to just _get on with it already_ and answer the question. Not that she expected much if his so-called dedication didn’t even cover the exploration of his own home island.

“Dangerous job, too. Especially around here,” he gestured towards the open area, “where no ship dares to go. I’ve gone as close as I could, but the currents here are treacherous.”

“Really?” Finally, she was getting somewhere.

“It’s true, nearly sank my ship. It took everything I knew to get me and my crew out of there.”

“Oh my!” Nami made the appropriate impressed sounds, all the while trying to work out whether or not this was somehow linked to the island’s superstitions. It was a bit too convenient to be a coincidence…

“At least I was able to return home. Many ships have simply been torn apart. Others have been lost, with no-one ever knowing their fate. Nearly happened to me! I sailed just along the edge, yet found myself straying several kilometers away from my intended route. If I hadn’t noticed in time, who knows where we would have ended up!”

Nami tilted her head to the side in a cutesy parody of confusion. “I thought you said you nearly sank?”

“Wha- yes! That was... when we were trying to make our way back.”

“Right.” That was all she needed to know on that front, but maybe she could still get a bit more out of him. _She_ knew what was out there, but what did the islanders think? “Is that why there’s nothing on the northern side of the island? It looks like a good place to expand the town, what with the large market and all...” She was watching him carefully for a reaction, so she caught his posture stiffening slightly.

“...Yes. That too.”

“There’s another reason?” The man hesitated, so she leaned forward a bit, emphasizing her cleavage. As predicted, his gaze fell down for a moment. It took a few false starts, but he started talking again.

“Listen, missy, the north side is not a good place. But it’s nothing you need to worry your sweet little head about, yeah?”

“But what makes it so bad?” she asked, well aware that she was toeing the line between cute whining and annoying whining. The look she received was verging on suspicious, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to push him much further.

“It’s an evil place. Nothing good can come out of it, and you best stay as far away from it as you can.”

 

Too late.

 

“Oh gosh, really? And people still live here? You must all be really brave!”

“Of course! This is our home, there’s no way we’d give it up,” the cartographer said with a swell of nationalistic pride, and Nami wondered how deep and far back it ran… “Besides, we’re protected by the spirits of our dead.”

Suddenly the layout of the graveyard made sense. It _was_ a barrier after all, but not for the living.

“How nice of them,” she hazarded, unsure what kind of response the man was after. Not that it really mattered anymore, she obviously wasn’t going to get more than vague descriptions of this terrible evil that supposedly haunted the woods. Best quit while she was ahead. Leaning forward a bit more (and thus silencing whatever it was the man had intended to say next), she moved on to the next map, this one covering an even larger area. She took note of a chain of volcanic islands due east, two of which were marked as active. Merchant Island aligned with them rather perfectly, but was a bit far off to be part of the chain. There was another chain going west, but this one showed no volcanic activity and was even further away. But… the islands did all make a rather neat line.

“Tell me,” she said, “is this area prone to earthquakes?”

“Only very minor ones, nothing to be afraid of. Shouldn’t so much as trip you up, even with those shoes of yours.” Stable area, then, although she had to wonder how long that would last. If she was right, Merchant Island sat directly on top of a fault. Interesting, but as long as the island held together while they were there, of very little consequence.

Having acquired all the information she wanted, it was time to wrap this up. She quickly picked out which maps she wanted to buy, then went for the shelves to get the supplies she needed. Irritatingly, the man decided to follow and started to pester her for what he claimed was a date, but to Nami sounded more like the evening of a low-budget escort. Any free drinks she might be able to get out of it were nowhere near worth it.

“I’m going to be busy. My crew is leaving tomorrow,” she told him, with little hope of the message making it through.

“Aw, don’t be like that, missy! It’ll just be a night of fun, I’m sure your crew will survive.”

“I really don’t think they will,” she muttered with complete sincerity. Offering no further comment, she gathered what she needed and gave the cartographer a pointed look. “I’ll be buying these.”

“Alright.” He named his price (overcharging a bit), and then went right back to pestering. “So, tonight?”

Nami handed him the money, gave her most aggressively polite smile, and said, “I’ll see what I can do.” Then she turned around and walked away, swaying her hips more than usual. She knew exactly where the man’s eyes were focused, which meant he didn’t notice that she was leaving with more things than she’d paid for.

 

Sucker.

 

* * *

_Soon, the first ships were finished. They were not quite as grand or reliable as the ship the siblings had built for their sister, but they served their purpose. The waves lapped up against the hulls, striking a steady rhythm, and the creak of wood and twang of rope sang a harmony._

_Overhead, silver shadows circled. They were waiting._

_And then the sails unfurled, and the wind pushed the ships out into uncharted waters, and finally, finally, the Fifth’s people knew they were going home._

* * *

Zoro woke up to the sound of Chopper’s voice, and was rather annoyed about his nap on deck being interrupted. He had expected everyone would be gone for longer. Welp, the quiet had been nice while it lasted.

Brook was the first one to climb aboard, followed by Chopper and Sanji. Any annoyance Zoro was feeling evaporated when he caught sight of the bandage wrapped around the cook’s head, and was immediately replaced with suspicion and alertness.

“Hey, Eyebrows! The hell happened to you?” Zoro frowned when the man failed to respond in any way, from smart-ass comment to so much as a glance. He watched as Chopper led Sanji into the galley and presumably the infirmary, then turned to Brook for an explanation.

“What happened?”

“What indeed…,” was the only reply he received.

“Want to expand on that a bit?” Brook finally tore his gaze away from the galley’s door and looked at Zoro.

“The bandage is a result of a… slight altercation with the local youth. A group of them decided to try and forcibly drive Sanji-san away, by throwing rocks at him.” Zoro blinked.

“Well hell, I would’ve wanted to see that,” he said, suddenly regretting not joining the little expedition. Seeing the cook getting brained with a rock sounded like quality entertainment. But… Brook was giving him some kind of look now. Damn if he wasn’t hard to read.

“In any other circumstance I would agree that the scene had a certain comedic value, but now… Now it only seems like yet another cause for concern.” Brook paused, as if unsure what to say. “I doubt the wound was serious, but Sanji-san has been acting odd all day. Add that to what we found… well.” Zoro waited for him to continue, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen.

“Do you _enjoy_ being vague? Because if you’re really that worried about something, I need to know what it is.” If this did turn out to be serious, he’d rather be ready for it.

Brook sighed. “The thing is, Zoro-san, I’m not sure what’s going on myself. Robin-san and Chopper-san may be the best ones to offer an explanation, and perhaps Sanji-san. But I don’t think even he knows what happened to him today.” Zoro narrowed his eyes, but let it go and nodded.

“So then we wait until Robin shows up.”

“And the rest, it will be easiest to go through this with everyone present.”

“Fine. If that’s all, I’m going back to sleep.”

And if he was ready to move at a moment’s notice, no-one else would ever know.

* * *

_Onward they sailed, and nothing could compare to the exhilaration of those moments out at sea. More and more ships were built, each with increasing skill, and more of the Fifth’s people found their way out on the waves._

_Eventually, they returned to land, if only out of necessity. They gathered along the shores, and told each other stories of what they had seen and all they had discovered._

_The world was larger than any of them could have imagined._

* * *

Robin picked her way through the crowded market. Her trip to the local library had not yielded any results, barring the reinforcement of her earlier observations: Merchant Island avoided documenting its past at all costs. Only the subject of the markets and trade were touched upon beyond the last half-century, and even them in passing. When she’d asked the librarian about it, she’d been met with outright bewilderment, as if the idea of preserving history had never even occurred. As soon as the concept had sunk in, the librarian had made it politely clear that the idea was off-putting to say the least. Robin got the distinct impression the woman meant ‘repulsive’. She had then spouted some line which sounded as if it had been ripped straight from a would-be inspirational speech without a thought for its implications, about how one should not dwell on the past and should focus on the future.

If she were any less level-headed, Robin was sure the flash of anger she experienced would have led to something… nasty. It was not really the woman’s fault that the island’s culture had internalized this strange and probably self-destructive ideology.

But if there was one thing Robin knew, it was that those who forgot history were doomed to repeat it. And what did that say about an island with apparent genocide in its past?

 

Robin was not an optimist by nature.

 

A vendor nodded at her as she went past, and she smiled in return. She was fully expecting the sales pitch the young woman launched into, and stayed to listen for a moment out of politeness and mild interest in the scarves being sold. She riffled through the selection, keeping an absentminded ear on the speech about good quality and pricing.

“...And we have more colors available-…” Robin looked up when the girl cut herself off, nervous smile overtaking her previously animated expression. “You… wouldn’t happen to be part of the Straw Hat crew, would you?”

Robin kept her expression neutral, but her guard was up and on high alert. “I am. Is there a problem?” she asked mildly.

“Ah, no! I was just… curious is all. Um. Sorry. A-anyway, all of our products are handmade, with great care and excellent attention to detail...” The girl kept going, hiding her nervousness poorly. Robin plastered on a pleasant smile and bought a scarf, hoping to ease any tension she could. Some people around them – locals, notably – were giving them wary glances. No-one could possibly know about that morning, so this was something else. And she had an idea what that might be.

It seemed the village grapevine had been hard at work overnight. Franky’s declaration of loyalty from the previous day must have made its way around by now, and already the crew was being viewed differently by association.

No-one had acted aggressively yet, so she doubted she was in any danger. However, it would be best if she finished off her search as quickly as possible.

She moved from stall to stall at a renewed pace, keeping an eye out for anything potentially useful. Since the library was a bust, she needed to follow other avenues of inquiry. Sadly, she had yet to find even a back alley of answers. There were no official archives of any kind. Store owners only kept records of their transactions. How on earth did these people hold on to any kind of national identity?

She paused at a stall selling bits and pieces claiming to ward off all manner of metaphysical harm and mischief.

Superstition. A set of beliefs they all adhered to with religious zeal. In fact to them, it _was_ a religion. And history was full of bloodshed in the name of belief. For many, it was ample reason to set aside all attempts at understanding, to pick up the pitchforks and torches and burn all who dared to think differently.

The pendant weighed in her pocket. Only one person had had anything of the kind, only one person had been so precisely and cruelly murdered. Could she have been a religious leader of some sort? An icon or center of worship? And Sanji… he somehow represented evil to the islanders, who took one look at him and all came to the same conclusion without fail. The tell couldn’t be his behavior, however strange it had been this past day, so…

(And goodness, how oddly he had been acting! From locating the cave to whispering words she had barely half-heard not at all understood, Sanji had done nothing but stir up questions.)

Yes, she had a good starting point now. The islanders may not have held on to their history, but their beliefs were another matter. And she knew just where to look. What better place than the tourist shop the bookstore owner had recommended?

The place turned out to be easy to find, though she supposed that was rather the point. The sign outside was certainly the biggest and most eye-catching on the street. The inside was occupied by a veritable army of kitsch, colorful posters hyping the local sights (which amounted to little, although the sheer volume of posters would lead you to think otherwise) and an unholy number of helpful brochures. There were some other customers around, who barely glanced at her when she entered. That suited her just fine, and she began to systematically search the store. Most of the things she found were useless, but there, off to the side was a shelf with some books. They offered (relatively) in-depth knowledge on architecture, trade and cuisine, among others. There were some on luck and how to ensure it, but a quick skim-through turned up nothing. Finally, her gaze caught the title _Omens and_ _How to Interpret Them_. She flipped through the pages quickly but carefully. No, no, not helpful, no… Ah, wait! Robin went back to the previous page, read through it, and chuckled.

 

“Oh my...”

* * *

_But life is not as simple as this._

 

_Despite their newfound footing, the Fifth’s people soon realized that not all problems had been solved. The seeds of hurt and bitterness had long since taken root, had flourished into the twisted vines of anger and mistrust. Relations with the Second’s people had been strained at their very best, and now with the Guardians’ favor they further crumbled under the weight of jealousy._

_Yet the blame did not rest solely on the shoulders of those who lived on land. It was the Fifth’s people who had thrown their generosity back in their faces, who had spat on even the most kindhearted and well-meaning of gestures. The Fifth’s people, too, had allowed animosity to fester. Following generations had taken it aboard without question, continued its cause without ever wondering why._

_The wisest on both sides realized the fault belonged to all of them and told of the dangers of supposedly righteous fury._

_Their voices were drowned out by the shouts of the very thing they warned against._

* * *

Sanji sat through Chopper’s examination obediently. He was poked, prodded and interrogated to within an inch of his life, but once it was over Chopper seemed satisfied that death wasn’t imminent. It didn’t mean the doctor wasn’t irritated to hell and back by not finding a definitive cause for Sanji’s condition, and he made it clear that on no uncertain terms was Sanji to do anything strenuous for at least the next twenty-four hours, and he was expected to report back to the infirmary every two hours for the rest of the day.

If Sanji had been any less grateful to finally be let out, he might have protested. As it stood, he knew not to press his luck.

So, he decided to use his unexpected free time to try and sort through the events of that morning. And by god was there a lot to unpack.

First off, he’d touched one of the Fish. That had been a Bad Idea, even allowing for the fact that it had been an accident. By simply brushing against one Fish, he’d somehow seen the memories of a man who’d died long ago, all at once, with some flashes of a more general despair thrown in for good measure. Once out of the cave, the memories had kept repeating on a loop in his head, becoming clearer as he processed them. Even now, he could easily summon them to the forefront of his mind ( _darkdarksomeonesaveme_ ), but the edge had faded. He felt like a viewer now, instead of a participant. It was an improvement.

But how the hell did that work? Was this mystic-memory-sharing something only the dead Fish could do, or all of them? There was only one way to find out, but that option was so far off the table it was probably in orbit. No way in hell was he doing that again. So, no answers on that front.

The next order of business was the whole dead Fish thing. They weren’t supposed to be like that, but how it had happened was a mystery. Clearly, it had to do with the massacre and burial, but beyond that he had nothing.

 

He was starting to spot a pattern here.

 

Things would be easier if he knew anything about the Fish to begin with.

 

Finally, there was the matter of all those people. He honestly wanted to get them out of there right this instant, but it wasn’t plausible. Even if he managed to rope the rest of the crew into helping, it would be a logistical impossibility. There were too many, too much distance to cover to the shore for each, and not enough space between the trees to bring in wagons. Not to mention how easily such a large-scale operation would be noticed.

He groaned, running a hand through his hair. Sometimes he hated being practical. He _knew_ there was no way to do it, but his heart kept warring with his brain. Surely, it whispered, surely there’s _something_ you can do?

 

But he couldn’t. And that disgusted him.

* * *

_If there is one thing to remember, it is this: the most terrifying aspect of hatred is its ease._

* * *

In his office aboard the Ardent, Captain Douglas Fletcher worked his way through a mountain of paperwork with grim determination. He wanted nothing more than to set fire to it all and dance on the ashes, but the world was not so kind. Instead, he prayed for some kind of distraction to find its way to him, despite not believing in any higher power.

There was a knock on his door, and he suddenly wondered if there was something to this religion lark after all.

“Enter,” he called, signing one last paper with flourish. A young Marine officer walked in, saluting smartly and stating his news.

“Sir, we just received a call from Merchant Island. Some pirates are causing trouble, and the islanders need our help.” Captain Fletcher frowned.

“Merchant Island? Aren’t Commander Halstead and his lot closer?”

“They were, sir, until they were designated to escort a noble’s ship yesterday.”

“We’re rather far out. Did they say it was urgent?”

“They want us as soon as possible, sir, although as of their call things had yet to escalate too much.”

“Alright. Set a course for Merchant Island. We’ll make it there sometime tomorrow morning if we sail through the night.”

“Sir, yes sir!”

“And before you go, did they tell you who our troublemakers are?”

“The Straw Hat crew, sir. Black-Leg in particular.”

“Thank you. Dismissed.” The officer left quickly to carry out his orders. Captain Fletcher pushed his paperwork aside with barely restrained glee to make room for his maps.

 

The Straw Hat pirates were a new but profoundly irritating thorn in the World Government’s side. Taking them into custody would certainly put him in the Navy’s good books. Now, where had he put…?

He nearly jumped when a sheaf of bounty posters was set on his desk. He’d forgotten about the other man in the room. He worked so damned quietly.

“Thought you might be looking for these, Captain. The Straw Hat bounties.”

“Yes, thank you, Cull.” Miro Cull nodded, but did not head back to his own desk as expected. “Was there something you wanted?” Fletcher had trouble reading the other man. He wasn’t a Marine officer, but rather an archivist (or record-keeper or possibly librarian) who worked for the World Government and was often left in charge of their files. He was aboard the Ardent to sort through the disorganized wilderness that was their paperwork. Fletcher privately wished him luck.

“You’re going to challenge the Straw Hats, Captain?” Cull asked in a mildly curious tone. Fletcher blinked at the slightly odd phrasing.

“Yes. That’s the mission we’ve been given. Why?”

“No reason, sir. Just curious. I’ve heard they’re fearless.”

“I’d say ‘spectacularly foolish’, but to each their own.”

“Yes sir.” Cull held eye contact for a few seconds, then turned around and went back to his desk. Fletcher shook his head. He’d long since given up understanding the inner workings of Cull’s mind. They had to be strange, if the man willingly spent so much time around paperwork.

 

But right now that was irrelevant. He had some pirates to catch.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. It's... it's been a minute. But! I am neither dead nor done with this fic, despite life's best attempts otherwise!

Whatever bullshit had affected that vendor from the other day had spread to other people now, Franky realized as he hauled a bunch of new supplies down the street. No-one was trying anything, but the looks he was receiving were enough to clue him in. _Screw_ _this_ , he thought and turned down a street he’d learned would take him towards the area where foreigners conducted their business. It was the long way around, but there was only so much side-eyeing he was willing to put up with before he lost his temper.

As expected, the looks all but disappeared, but there was still an odd tension in the air that he could neither identify nor understand. It was the middle of the day, but a few merchants seemed to be closing up shop already, even though they had plenty left to sell. Maybe they were only given spaces for a limited period of time? Who knew. He wasn’t interested in buying anything else anyway, he’d found everything he needed. Now all that was left to do was to get all his stuff to the ship and wait for the log pose to set. Honestly, he’d be glad when they got off this damn island.

No-one bothered him, apart from a few merchants throwing their sales pitches his way, and his mood lifted somewhat. He was rather disappointed when he had to cut back through the locals’ area in order to make it to the docks. The smell of the sea got stronger the closer he got, and the crowds grew larger and louder.

“- and attacked them! Can you imagine that? A group of children! What kind of horrible-” The shrill voice cut off as he passed the woman who was speaking emphatically to her friends, and Franky was momentarily thrown off by the intense glare she leveled at him. He didn’t get a chance to say anything before she turned around and walked off, her friends trailing after her in a cloud of aggressive whispers and suspicious glances.

“… The hell?”

He really, _really_ didn’t like Merchant Island.

* * *

 

_It starts with rumor, with accusation, with whispered words of twisted truths and little falsehoods, inexpertly blended but unquestioned all the same. With time the seams disappear, one indistinguishable from the other, shifting and roiling like drops of ink in water, ever darkening, ever moving, ever spreading._

 

* * *

 

Sanji’s moment of introspection led to very little beyond processing the events of the morning as best he could. He was able to separate himself almost completely from the… vision, or whatever, and it did wonders for his mental state, but there was absolutely no new information to be gained from any of it. Some weird bullshit was afoot, and that was all he could say with any certainty. So, with nothing better to do for the next two hours until his Chopper-mandated checkup, Sanji headed for the galley and picked up Elias’s logbook again. He got out all his notes, picked up a pen and got back to work. He flipped through the pages gently until he found the place where he’d left off.

 

‘ _Our first destination shall be our sister island, Vaino. There, I hope to find whether they have kept stories we at home have not. I have sent them many a letter to this effect; yet I have received not a single reply. From what I have heard from my fellows, this has been increasingly common for most attempts at communication. I cannot think what may be preventing our letters from reaching them, or their replies reaching us, but can only hope it comes down to a long journey and the need to hire better couriers. I dare not think of how I did not see any of their ships in our harbors during the many months leading up to my crew’s departure._

_We shall simply have to meet them face-to-face.’_

 

A ‘sister island’, with yet another name he’d never heard before. Elias spoke of a long journey, so it couldn’t have been geographically nearby. A close ally, then, or an island populated by the same group of people? If Elias expected them to have some more stories for him to collect, it was probably the latter.

And it didn’t sound like they were doing too well.

Not at all liking the direction this was heading, Sanji nevertheless pressed onward. The next several entries were once again a bunch of the same cut-and-dry status reports as before, but he paid attention to them all the same.

 

‘ _A storm rages outside tonight, and it is taking our all to ride it out. Nordenskiold has to fight to keep our heading, and I can only hope the Kalevala holds together long enough for us to see clear skies again. I believe I saw the light of another ship, but it disappeared too quickly to be certain. May the storm have mercy._

_I do not like falling back on prayer, but if it may soothe the wrath of the ocean, then pray I shall.’_

 

Storms in South Blue couldn’t match up to those of the Grand Line, but Sanji had heard from many customers on the Baratie that they could still be pretty damn bad. He turned the page absently, as an odd thought floated across his mind.

_Who is it you prayed to, Lonn?_

He briefly wondered why he thought it mattered, mentally shrugged, and carried on.

 

‘ _I am unsure of the hour, for the storm clouds above still blot out all sun and turn even noon into midnight, but the rain has at last abated. Perhaps there is yet hope for us. I desperately wish it to be so; we are all so weary.’_

 

The entry was undated, and the handwriting shaky. Lonn was clearly at the end of his rope. Sanji turned the page to find a woefully short entry, written by someone else’s hand:

 

‘ _Land sighted. Wind rising.’_

 

If one of Lonn’s crew had taken over keeping the logbook – albeit rather minimally – then Lonn himself was likely either too busy or incapacitated. He’d been diligent so far, it seemed doubtful he’d hand the duty over to someone else if he had any other choice.

Or maybe Lonn had just felt like it. The truth was, Sanji could only make barely substantiated guesses about anyone aboard the Kalevala, no matter how much he read.

There were no more entries on the page or the next one, on account of a massive ink stain. The page after that had another quick note - ‘ _Made it to harbor_ ’ - before picking up with Lonn’s entries again, dated almost a week later.

 

‘ _We weathered the storm, with only material losses. My crew, exhausted though they be, are all present and in good health. It seems our prayers were heard; the Five have my eternal gratitude._

_We were not the only ones surprised to have made it, however. The citizens of Vaino seemed hard-pressed to believe we were there at all, for reasons utterly unrelated to the storm we sailed through. Now, at last, I have an answer for dwindling communications, and it is both relieving and worrying. The people here are unharmed and that eases the burden on my heart, for I had feared calamity._

_Yet the true reason speaks of something sinister: the World Government has imposed heavy sanctions upon the island. Only a few select ships are allowed in and out, and all others are turned away. Those few ships are thoroughly searched every time, and anything aboard that does not meet the officers’ approval is immediately confiscated. Trade has all but ceased to exist, which in turn has resulted in severe shortages. The people here will not starve, at least, for fishing ships within their own waters are left alone, but that seems to be the only leniency afforded._

_Not only is travel restricted, but all outgoing and incoming communication is heavily monitored as well. I had wondered why my letters were never answered; now I suspect they were never received. No correspondence making mention of the circumstances has made it out, I am told, and likely very little else has either. No chances are given even to those sailors who are allowed through; they are ‘escorted’ by a Navy ship to their destination, whereafter every crew member who disembarks is accompanied by a Marine soldier at all times. It may explain why news had not reached us of such a terrible display of power; our fellows are never presented with an opportunity to convey their distress._

_It is pure serendipity that the Kalevala made the journey undetected, the storm as our cover. It is rapidly proving itself a blessing in disguise, for I doubt our presence would have been tolerated by the Navy at all._

_I know not yet why this has come to be, but tomorrow I shall meet with the Elders and the Council. They have promised to share everything I wish to know.’_

 

That was… bad. It had to be. The World Government was a bunch of dicks now, and Sanji was willing to bet that had been the case then, too. Sanctions or strong-arming? With the World Government, there was probably no difference.

Sanji made some more notes, and kept going. The next entry was dated the following day.

 

‘ _I have had my audience, which happened as follows._

_I was told that the World Government had approached the Council on the matter of building a Navy base on Vaino. They promised many benefits, the foremost of which was protection from those who would seek to cause harm. They promised increased trade through the far reach of the Government, they promised increased unity with the world. They promised education and prosperity._

_But the Council declined their offer, for they had no need for any of these things. Trade already flourished, unity already achieved through travel and sharing stories. Nowhere in the world, on no sister isle, do our people have a conflict the Government could resolve. Children are educated in our ways, and are free to obtain further knowledge from wherever they wish. Few people speak Common unless the skill is demanded by their occupation – it is doubtful any education the Government could provide would be of any help at all._

_That first envoy departed with grace; yet it seems the answer was received far less so. The offer was repeated once, twice, a third time, each with less patience than the last. By the fourth, it was no longer an offer. It was an order: accept, or face governmental action._

_The Council declined again, and the sanctions began. I suppose to declare war would have been drastic, an unprovoked attack on a peaceful nation that would, perhaps, be condemned by others and weaken the Government’s still unstable foothold in this world. Perhaps they do not wish to sacrifice the lives of their men in an unnecessary battle. Perhaps they do not have the resources for an invasion._

_Or perhaps they have simply not yet been sufficiently angered. I doubt it is out of kindness that they have refrained from harsher measures._

_What have they to gain, I wonder? Why go so far for a small island with so little influence? These questions trouble me, for they beg yet more answers. Is Vaino the only place to suffer, or are there others?_

_How far is the World Government willing to go?_

 

Robin had told them about Ohara, once. The answer was _far._

“Shit...” He felt a little stupid, getting worked up over something that happened centuries ago to people who were all dead by now even if their story got the happiest end possible, yet the very language it was written in forced the issue close to his heart. It was nothing like reading Granny’s book of fairy tales when he was a kid, but the words wrapped themselves around his earliest sense of home and would not let go.

He got up to pace the kitchen and unwind the tension creeping through his shoulders and threatening to make its way to his still aching head. Had it been two hours yet? He hadn’t been paying all that much attention, though if Chopper hadn’t kicked down the door and hauled him to the infirmary then he was probably still in the clear.

He leaned against the counter wearily and looked over at the logbook, sitting innocuously on the table, surrounded by his notes. He wondered if he was heading right for a tale of genocide. There’d been an awful lot of those going around lately.

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and walked back to the table. Maybe it wouldn’t come to that.

 

* * *

 

_It continues with aggravation, provocation. The testing of limits, the justification of pushing just a little bit too hard. The inflaming words masked as concern for their own, the misplaced blame falling indiscriminately._

 

_Slowly, slowly, the ink spreads._

_Slowly, slowly, the ink stains._

 

* * *

 

Usopp didn’t know why he’d decided to leave the ship today, but he knew he regretted it deeply. It was starting to feel more like that first day, if not quite as hostile. The glances and whispering behind his back were going to drive him insane anyway. Every corner he passed, he was sure someone was going to jump out and attack him, and while he, the Great Captain Usopp, could obviously handle it with ease, it didn’t mean he _wanted to_.

To hell with it, he was going back to the Sunny. Nothing in this place was worth his skyrocketing pulse.

The docks were busier than they had been at any point so far, and he had to resort to some particularly artful maneuvers to avoid getting hit by carts, animals, and people alike. It seemed like everyone was in a hurry all of a sudden. The crowd had a restless kind of energy that put him in mind of a spring being slowly wound up to see how far it can go, before…

To extra-double-hell with it. He wanted out, and now that he could see the ships, he realized he wasn’t the only one. Far more ships were leaving than coming in. They had the right idea.

Usopp caught sight of a familiar head of blue.

“Hey, Franky! Over here!”

 

* * *

 

_Slowly, slowly…_

 

* * *

 

It said a lot about Nami’s life that hearing a massive crash only prompted a weary sigh. She headed for it without a second thought, wondering when this became normal. She could hear raised voices, now, and hoped the damage wasn’t too bad. This trip had been expensive enough already.

When she turned the corner, she expected to see Luffy, standing in the middle of some chaos he’d caused out of stupidity. What she found was a furious vendor and a cracked table with wares scattered over the ground, which wasn’t unusual, and Luffy standing completely still, which was. She couldn’t see his face since she’d come up behind him, but the tension in him was impossible to miss.

Oh, hell.

“Luffy! What are you doing?!” He didn’t answer, didn’t even look at her, but the vendor had plenty to say.

“He broke my table, the bastard! Hey, you gonna pay for it, punk? After what ya did to i-” he cut off as Luffy took a threatening step forward.

“Luffy!” Nami came up alongside him and grabbed his arm. To the vendor, she said: “I’m so sorry sir, he’s just a moron, taken too many punches to the face, you know how it is...” She scanned the crowd around them, and cursed internally. If things got nasty, these people would not be on their side. Luffy could take them easily, sure, but that was exactly the kind of trouble they needed to avoid. She glanced at his face and swore again. He was glaring at the vendor, not even acknowledging her presence, still not saying a damn word. This was _bad._

“Here, I’ll just pay for the damages, alright? No harm done!” she said through gritted teeth, vowing to keep Luffy in her debt for the rest of _eternity_. “We’ll just leave, no trouble. No trouble.”

She tossed the vendor an amount she knew more than covered the cost of the table before he could complain, and pulled at Luffy’s arm. “Come on Luffy, let’s go.” He didn’t budge. “Goddammit, _move!_ ” she hissed. “We can’t afford this right now!”

This time when she pulled, he came willingly. She almost sighed in relief, knowing if he really put up a fight there would be nothing she could do. She dragged him through the streets briskly, trying to put as much distance between them and the little incident as possible.

“What the hell were you thinking? I _know_ I told you not to start anything!”

Silence. From anyone else, it would have been aggravating. From Luffy, it was unnerving. It wasn’t until they were almost at the harbor that she heard: “You didn’t hear what he said.”

 

* * *

 

_Wise are those who wash the ink away. Few are those who can stand in its way._

 

* * *

 

Sanji was in the middle of his regularly scheduled check-up when Franky and Usopp returned, one in bad mood and the other twitchy as all hell. Seemed like no-one was having a good time. Merchant Island was rapidly climbing to the top of Sanji’s Never Again Under Any Circumstances -list. It was almost impressive, considering the competition.

They were followed by Nami and Luffy about an hour later, who both seemed a little… off, Nami more so. He was about to ask, but Luffy interrupted with a demand for food, and that was that. The mood lifted into something resembling normal, but there was an undercurrent Sanji didn’t like.

He couldn’t fucking wait to leave Merchant Island behind.

He ran a hand through his hair, glad Chopper had deemed the bandage safe to remove. What to make… It was too early for dinner. Sandwiches? Those were simple. Those would work. Maybe the familiar motions would help him forget everything for just a little while. He doubted it, but a man can dream.

He’d just finished plating everything when Robin arrived, looking serene as ever. It was a bit of a relief having the gang all together, even if the underlying tension still stuck around. Then everyone sat down and it was time to play another round of Here’s What Happened Today and he regretted the sentiment.

Robin was wordlessly elected as his group’s spokesperson with Chopper as their medical representative, and he was a bit relieved by that. He wasn’t sure he could explain anything at all.

Everyone listened with unusual solemnity as Robin laid out what they had found. At the end, they all sat in silence.

“...Shit,” said Franky, in summary of what they were all thinking. Sanji had never agreed more in his life. One by one, looks were turning to him, and all he could do was shrug.

“Not a fucking clue,” he said.

“Coming here was a terrible idea, oh my god, oh my _god…_ ” Usopp had gone pale somewhere around the mention of corpses and hadn’t regained his color since. “Why do all the nice-looking places always turn out so messed up, oh my god...”

“I do have some good news, however,” Robin said, bringing all attention back to her. “While I was unable to find anything about the cave, I believe I have found out why Cook-san has been singled out.”

“Seriously?” Sanji asked, genuinely surprised. This trip had been so heavily characterized by an utter lack of information that it sounded almost impossible.

“Yes,” she replied, taking out a book Sanji had never seen before and flipping through until she came to a stop a bit past halfway. Zoro, who was sitting closest, leaned over to take a look.

 

And promptly choked on his sandwich.

 

With laughter, it turned out when he stopped coughing. A pity, Sanji thought through his rapidly mounting rage, that the sandwich didn’t take the bastard down with it.

“ _What?_ ”

“I knew it!” Zoro wheezed, and Sanji was filled with a desire to kick his teeth in. “I said it, didn’t I? Your face is offensive!”

“And what the _fuck_ does that mean?”

Zoro just laughed, and Sanji resigned himself to murder. It was clearly the only way forward. But before he could launch himself over the table to do the world a favor, Robin picked up the book and handed it to him. He took it to avoid being rude, but kept seething. This had better be good, he thought as he looked at the page. And then he thought nothing at all, because right there under the category header ‘Omens of Calamity’ was a spiral.

 

_A fucking spiral._

 

He wasn’t sure who it was who took the book from him, or when exactly it happened, because he was too busy planning kicking Zoro off the ship, setting the island of fire and sailing off into the sunset and never looking back. He did hear Franky chuckle, though, and amended his plans accordingly.

All of this bullshit, over a _goddamn spiral._

“Alright, mystery solved, ha fucking ha. How soon can we leave, Nami-san?” he asked tersely.

“How soon-- not until tomorrow around midday, earliest. Maybe… it’s best if you stayed on the ship until then...”

“...Yeah. It is.” He found himself in an odd middle ground between anger and exhausted resignation. It’s all so _stupid_. And suddenly he had a horrible thought, one which Robin must have read on his face because she shook her head and set the little girl’s pendant on the table.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence, no,” she answered his unasked question. “The spiral motif was present in one form or another on the clothing or jewelry of almost every body I saw, although not as prominently as this.” She traced the spiral carved into the stone. “I can’t say _how_ exactly they were connected, but it all lines up far too neatly to be chance.”

“There’s no way to find out?”

Robin shook her head again. “Not when the culture here bends over backwards to avoid recording its own history. I’ve never seen anything like it, even with the Void Century. It’s not destruction of information, it’s never having any at all.”

“So… what should we do?” Franky asked.

“Kick their asses!” Luffy declared, reaching over the table to steal another sandwich from Nami and getting his hand slapped for his efforts.

“No!”

“There is nothing to be done for the people in the cave. As for our current problems… we leave tomorrow. I think it’s best we put it behind us,” said Robin, although she didn’t look too happy about it. And then, _again_ , everyone looked over at Sanji, as if he had any better ideas. He wished they’d stop doing that.

“That’s that, then. We’re done here.”

 

* * *

 

_Slowly, slowly._

_And yet too fast to catch._

 

* * *

 

Sanji rolled over for the umpteenth time in the past half hour, unable to get comfortable. Chopper had collected on his promise to spend the night in the infirmary, no matter how much Sanji had hoped he’d forget. He hated the bed here, and it didn’t help that Chopper himself was still up, poring over medical texts by candle light at his desk. He was clearly trying to keep quiet, but he was also getting increasingly frustrated as time went by. Sanji suspected he knew why.

“Alright, this isn’t working. If I’ve got to sleep, then so do you.”

“I will, I will, I just want to check a few more things… There’s got to be something in here.”

Sanji sighed, stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then sat up and pushed the blanket off.

“I’m done.”

“Hey, where do you think you’re going? You promised-”

“The galley, and you’re coming with me.” He didn’t give Chopper a chance to argue, just pulled him out by the arm. In the galley, he had Chopper sit down at the table while he heated up some cocoa. Once it was done, he poured some into two mugs, handed one to Chopper, and then headed out on deck. Chopper followed sullenly.

The night air was cool, but the wind had died down enough for it to still be pleasant. The lights of the town meant that they couldn’t see all the stars, but the view was still nice. Sanji leaned against the railing, warming his hands on his mug and taking it all in for a while, before turning to his companion.

“Okay, start talking.”

“You should be resting.”

“And you should be following your own advice there, _doctor_.”

“I’m not the one who’s been hit with some unidentifiable symptoms and pelted with rocks!” Ah, now they were getting somewhere.

“I’m feeling better now, you know.”

“That doesn’t _matter!_ ” Chopper shrieked, almost knocking his cocoa into the sea. “It doesn’t matter if you’re feeling better right now, because until I figure out what the hell is going on, there’s no way of knowing if it’ll happen again! And what if it does, but doesn’t stop on its own like this time? What if it happens in the middle of some battle, or while you’re swimming? What then? _You die!_ ”

Sanji looks back out onto the water. He sees some Fish further out, oddly luminescent without actually giving any light.

“I doubt it’ll come to that, Chopper.”

“You don’t know that! _I_ don’t know that, and it’s my _job!_ ”

“Chopper… you know this isn’t your fault, right?” He kept looking out to sea, doing his best not to come off as confrontational for once.

“I…” The fight seemed to be draining out of him, to be replaced with guilt. “I’m supposed to help you. I’m the doctor, it’s why I’m here in the first place, if I can’t even do that, then-”

“I’m going to stop you there.” Now, he turned to look Chopper in the eye. “You’re here because you’re one of us, regardless of what you do. And what you’re doing is your damn best. You’ll figure it out, it might just take a little time.”

“And how can we be sure you’ve got that time? This is so sudden, it could easily get worse just as quick.”

Sanji kept quiet for a moment, measuring his response. He knew he had a piece of the puzzle Chopper lacked, but… that piece was the difference between being mysteriously ill and being declared delusional. He had no proof, just shapes only he could see.

 

Hell, maybe he really was delusional. Maybe he really had been hallucinating his whole life.

 

“I’ll tell you if I start feeling different, how about that?” he bargained, conscious of his misleading phrasing. Not a lie, but certainly not the truth.

“You didn’t say anything the first time.”

“I didn’t realize what was happening. I know what to watch out for, now.” Chopper threw him a skeptical look, which was fair, but Sanji wasn’t about to let him know that. “I promise.”

“...You’d better.”

 

They stayed outside, sipping their cocoa and staring out to sea, although Sanji knew he was seeing more. Out there, the Fish swam around, as unhurried and aimless as ever. Unlike the stars, they had no reflection on the water. In the dark, Sanji couldn’t make the horizon, so it looked like the Fish were swimming through space, flitting between stars.

“You know, there was this story I read as a kid,” he said apropos of nothing. “It was about how, in the beginning, the world was empty. Nothing lived here. But then, one by one, everything decided what shape it wanted to be, and came down to live here.”

Chopper looked thoughtful. “What were they before, then?”

Sanji chuckled. “I haven’t got a clue. The story never said. But anyway, it was the fish that were the very first to choose, and they picked the ocean. Only they noticed that at night everything was completely dark. So they all picked their shiniest scales and placed them in the sky, to make the stars. I always thought it was very kind of them.”

Chopper looked up at the sky, tilting his head. “I guess so. What happened then?”

Sanji shrugged. “I guess everyone else followed them here in the end. The story just… stopped there. Like a piece was missing.” A lot of the stories he’d read had been like that, come to think of it. Bits and pieces with no real connection. He’d just filled in the gaps himself, overactive imagination and all, but he’d wondered. It felt like they should have fit, but didn’t.

 

The same could be said about a lot of things, he supposed.

 

* * *

 

_It always comes as a surprise to everyone, yet no-one at all, when the ink finally overflows._

 

* * *

 

Somewhere not too far away, and getting closer by the minute, the Ardent was making good time.


End file.
